F1 Japanese Grand Prix: FIA announce last-minute qualifying rule change

Photo: © IMAGO

Japanese Grand Prix

FIA announce last-minute Japanese Grand Prix qualifying rule change

F1's governing body have moved to change a controversial element of the 2026 rules

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Thursday 26 March 2026 15:14

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The FIA have announced that a change will be introduced at this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix in a move to refine the controversial 2026 regulations.

Even before the opening round of this year's championship in Melbourne at the start of the month, the FIA were dealing with frequent complaints regarding F1's energy management rules, which had been changed under the new regulations cycle.

For 2026 and beyond, the chassis and power unit rules in F1 have been completely overhauled, with a much bigger focus on electrical energy after the MGU-H was removed from the 2026 power units altogether.

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And no one has been more persistent in voicing their dislike of the electrical energy deployment than four-time champion Max Verstappen, who said he was ‘emotionally drained’ by F1’s new cars regardless of where on the grid he qualified at the start of the season.

But whilst the Dutchman may not have felt like his qualifying position improved his chances of enjoying the racing, some drivers voiced concerns that the speed lost whilst harvesting energy at full throttle (known as superclipping) was reducing their chance to go flat out during the first competitive session of a race weekend.

And now, as the sport gears up for the track return in Suzuka, F1's governing body has announced a change to the energy management parameters for qualifying at the Japanese GP in a bid to address these concerns.

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What have the FIA changed for the Japanese GP qualifying?

In a statement posted to the FIA's official social media accounts, F1's governing body confirmed the tweak had been agreed after conversations with the F1 teams and power unit manufacturers, the latter of which all agreed unanimously with the change.

The statement read: "Following discussions between the FIA, F1 teams and Power Unit Manufacturers, a minor adjustment to the energy management parameters for qualifying at the Japanese GP has been agreed with the unanimous support of all Power Unit Manufacturers.

"To ensure that the intended balance between energy deployment and driver performance is maintained, the maximum permitted energy recharge for qualifying this weekend has been reduced from 9.0 MJ to 8.0 MJ.

"This adjustment reflects feedback from drivers and teams, who have emphasised the importance of maintaining qualifying as a performance challenge.

"The FIA notes that the first events under the 2026 regulations have been operationally successful, and this targeted refinement is part of the normal process of optimisation as the new regulatory framework is further validated in real-world conditions.

"The FIA, together with F1 teams and Power Unit Manufacturers, continues to embrace evolutions to energy management, with further discussions scheduled in the coming weeks."

Though it sounds like further amendments to the new rules could be expected over the coming months, for now, the FIA's energy rule tweaks mean drivers will be required to do less lifting and coasting during Saturday's qualifying at Suzuka.

The reduction in maximum permitted energy recharge is expected to cost around 0.5s in lap time, but in theory, it should allow the drivers to go flat out when putting in qualifying laps, meaning they can focus on pure speed instead of worrying about energy management as much.

Any rule changes would usually require a months notice to be approved, but the unanimous support from the F1 2026 teams and PU providers meant the tweak was able to be given the green light at such short notice.

Changes to F1 qualifying in 2026

In 2026, there are a couple of changes to the way qualifying works that you may notice during every grand prix weekend, not just the third round in Japan.

Thanks to the arrival of American squad Cadillac as the 11th team from 2026 onwards, there are now 22 cars on the grid. This means that instead of five cars exiting after Q1 and Q2, there will be six that are eliminated, still leaving 10 out on track for the final pole shootout in Q3.

The other notable change is in the timings - Q3 now gets an extra minute and lasts for 13 minutes rather than the previous 12.

When is the Japanese Grand Prix?

The main event at the Suzuka circuit will take place on Sunday, March 29, as the Japanese Grand Prix returns before a long break in April following confirmation from F1 that both the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs have been cancelled due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

To read our full breakdown of the weekend schedule, click here.

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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F1 FIA Japanese Grand Prix Suzuka