F1 fans furious after seeing footage of Max Verstappen and George Russell: "This is unacceptable"

Max Verstappen and George Russell — Photo: © IMAGO

Japanese Grand Prix

F1 fans furious after seeing footage of Verstappen and Russell: "This is unacceptable"

The 2026 cars were again in the spotlight at Suzuka

Graham Shaw Consultant Editor

Digital sports specialist running global brands for 30 years

Saturday 28 March 2026 17:00

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The new F1 regulations for 2026 have sparked controversy among fans and drivers yet again at the Japanese Grand Prix.

As the action unfolded at the iconic Suzuka circuit, it became painfully obvious that the cars are losing significant speed on the straights and in fast corners.

What used to be an all-out sprint through the infamous 130R now requires considerable braking. Known in the paddock as 'super-clipping', this phenomenon has led to an average speed loss of 55 km/h, according to data from the second practice session.

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The speed drop stems from the new power units, which distribute power equally between the combustion engine and the electric systems. Once the MGU-K kicks in to recover energy at high speeds, the top speed abruptly drops. This was clearly witnessed during the long runs when Alpine’s Franco Colapinto saw his speed fall from 329 to 231 km/h, a stunning near-100km/h decrease. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen experienced a similar effect, dropping from 324 to 270 km/h on the straight.

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Fan frustration over 'Super-clipping'

Fans unsurprisingly took to social media in droves to express their discontent as frustration grew at the images they were witnessing.

Footage of Mercedes star George Russell, who lost about 60 km/h and even had to downshift at the 130R, left many baffled.

“Losing 60 km/h and downshifting at 130R on your fastest lap? Welcome to the pinnacle of motorsport,” one user commented.

Another fan slammed Verstappen's performance: “Dropping from 324 to 270 km/h while at full throttle just isn’t F1. Something needs to be done fast because this is doing more harm than good.”

It isn’t just the fans who are concerned either - drivers are having to adapt to the new driving dynamics of these lighter machines as well.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton likened the feeling in the car to driving a kart, largely due to the significantly reduced downforce.

Williams’ Alex Albon also shared his worries about the diminishing true top speeds on the circuits, admitting: “I feel like what we’re experiencing is that there’s simply no more genuine high speed. Since you’re coming through the corners more slowly, everything now feels like a medium-speed turn.”

Driver	Team	Speed lost (km/h)
HUL	Audi	46
BOR	Audi	51
BEA	Haas	52
LAW	RB	52
NOR	McLaren	52
BOT	Cadillac	52
VER	Red Bull	53
LEC	Ferrari	53
ANT	Mercedes	53
RUS	Mercedes	54
PER	Cadillac	54
PIA	McLaren	55
OCO	Haas	56
HAD	Red Bull	56
HAM	Ferrari	58
ALB	Williams	58
ALO	Aston Martin	60
SAI	Williams	61
GAS	Alpine	64
STR	Aston Martin	65
COL	Alpine	70

Written by

Graham Shaw - Consultant Editor

Digital sports leader with 30 years of senior level experience running global brands. Built sportinglife.com to be a behemoth in the UK as well as being in charge of the Planet Sport network of sites including planetf1.com, football365.com, teamtalk.com and planetrugby.com. Then grew goal.com to be the world's biggest soccer website in 18 languages and 37 territories. Was GM of Portals for Perform Group (now DAZN) with overall responsibility for sportingnews.com, spox.de and voetbalzone.nl.

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F1 Max Verstappen George Russell 2026 regulations Japanese Grand Prix Suzuka