F1 clipping explained: why it won’t disappear without drastic changes. An in-depth look at F1’s superclipping issue in 2026.

To eliminate clipping, it would be necessary to cut electric power by up to 80% during races, where the risk of incidents also stems from the freedom teams have in software management.

The Suzuka race highlighted all the issues and risks associated with superclipping, the slowdown at the end of straights that can exceed 50 km/h. In addition to producing a questionable spectacle in qualifying, the phenomenon has confirmed safety concerns, creating large speed differences between cars that can ultimately lead to accidents. The FIA and teams are now evaluating possible solutions, but it is unlikely the problem will be completely resolved without drastic measures.

Acting on the internal combustion engine is not enough

Clipping is a dual problem, involving both the discharge and recharge phases of the battery. To keep the electric component active for as long as possible, the battery must be recharged while driving, even outside braking zones. This requires using the internal combustion engine as a generator, diverting part of its power to produce electrical energy. Inevitably, this reduces the power delivered to the wheels and lowers top speed—this is precisely what causes clipping.

Among the proposed solutions is increasing the maximum power used to recharge the battery on straights from 250 to 350 kW. However, this would further reduce propulsion, intensifying clipping phases, even if they become shorter. Another idea is to adjust parameters of the internal combustion engine to increase horsepower, thereby reducing the perceived loss of power during recharge phases. However, this is not a viable solution before next season and would not eliminate the fundamental issue, as power loss on straights would still be noticeable.

A third option would be to reduce the amount of energy that can be recovered per lap, as was tentatively tested at Suzuka. The goal here would be to limit battery recharging on straights, but as the Japanese Grand Prix demonstrated, this alone is not enough. Even in extreme scenarios where recharging outside braking zones is completely prohibited, clipping would still persist. This is because the other core issue remains: premature battery depletion, which would require revisiting the 50:50 balance between internal combustion and electric power.

Electric power: an 80% reduction would be needed

One of the options under consideration involves cutting electric power by 50, 100, or more kilowatts. However, even this would not be sufficient to eliminate superclipping. According to regulations, the battery has a maximum capacity of 4 MJ, roughly equivalent to the energy that can be recovered per lap under braking, although this varies depending on the circuit. Assuming the electric motor is used at the current maximum of 350 kW, the battery would be depleted in just 11 seconds. Reducing power to 300 kW would extend this to 13 seconds, while at 250 kW it would last 16 seconds. At Suzuka, this would be enough to cover the 130R straight without clipping, but it would leave the car without energy for the remainder of the lap.

On average, cars spend more than 50 seconds per lap at full throttle across different circuits. To avoid clipping in races, electric power would need to be reduced by around 80%, limiting it to approximately 80 kW. This is even lower than the 120 kW allowed under previous regulations, highlighting how significant the removal of the MGU-H—previously used to recover energy from exhaust gases—has been.

Qualifying is less affected

Paradoxically, the issue is easier to manage in qualifying, where drivers begin their laps with a fully charged battery and gradually recharge it over the lap. Assuming once again that recharging is limited to braking zones, around 8 MJ of energy would be available for a flying lap. To use all of it without clipping over approximately 50 seconds of full-throttle driving, electric power would need to be limited to 160 kW, representing a 55% reduction compared to current levels.

Such a decision would be extremely drastic, and one that neither the FIA nor the teams seem willing to take. This brings the discussion back to square one: regardless of efforts to improve charging and discharging phases, power cuts and clipping would always remain. A more realistic approach would involve acting on the recoverable energy per lap, electric power levels, and, from next year, the performance of the internal combustion engine to reduce slowdowns at the end of straights, potentially tailoring parameters to specific circuits.

Accidents: software freedom is the real issue

A separate but equally critical issue concerns the risk of accidents due to large speed differences. When two cars experience clipping simultaneously, the problem does not arise, as they continue at similar speeds. However, when one car is recharging while another is deploying electric power, the speed delta increases significantly—especially if the attacking driver is using the Boost function, as seen in Oliver Bearman’s incident.

This not only creates artificial or unintentional overtakes—described by Fernando Alonso as “avoidance maneuvers”—but can also catch drivers off guard, potentially leading to rear-end collisions.

The root of the issue lies in the different battery usage strategies, as highlighted by Andrea Kimi Antonelli in Japan: “With Leclerc, I was using much more battery in places where he wasn’t using it at all, and in those situations, you end up with a big speed difference.”

The problem stems from the excessive freedom in energy management. “I don’t think it’s something that easy to fix,” Antonelli added. “Each team decides how and where to use the battery.”

These statements suggest the need to introduce constraints on energy management strategies, aiming to standardize their usage. One possible solution would be to define specific zones where the electric motor can be deployed, similar to the old DRS activation zones. This would also reduce battery usage time compared to the current average of 50 seconds, thereby mitigating clipping.

The only certainty is that drastic measures are required, and none would come without trade-offs. At this point, the only option is to choose the lesser evil.

As the 2026 technical saga continues to unfold, the balance between engineering freedom and driver safety remains a delicate tightrope walk. By analyzing the raw data of energy deployment, it becomes clear that the current hybrid philosophy necessitates a level of artificial management that the sport has never seen before. Whether the FIA chooses to restrict software freedom or cut power output, the goal remains the same: ensuring that the “clipping” phenomenon doesn’t overshadow the talent of the drivers or, worse, lead to a avoidable disaster on track.