Formula 1’s new generation of power units could face one of its most severe tests yet at the 2026 Italian Grand Prix, with simulations suggesting that super clipping at Monza may cause cars to lose substantial speed before reaching the end of the circuit’s long straights. The phenomenon could fundamentally alter the character of a track traditionally defined by sustained acceleration and extreme top speeds.
Monza’s 5.793-kilometre layout has earned its reputation as the Temple of Speed through a combination of long flat-out sections, relatively few corners and exceptionally high average speeds. Under the 2026 regulations, however, electric energy management could become a decisive limitation rather than simply another performance variable.
The FIA has introduced measures over recent months aimed at reducing the scale of the problem, but the particular characteristics of Monza may still expose the weakness. With so much of the lap spent demanding maximum power and relatively few opportunities to recover energy, the battery may struggle to sustain full electrical deployment for the entire length of each straight.
F1 super clipping at Monza could cost around five seconds per lap
A simulation produced by Marek Lubieniecki ahead of the Italian Grand Prix illustrates how significant the effect could become. His calculations indicate that the 2026 cars could lap roughly five seconds slower than the pole-position benchmark established by Max Verstappen in 2025.
The final difference will also depend on the aerodynamic configurations chosen by the teams. Monza traditionally demands an extreme low-downforce package, and balancing drag reduction against the requirements of the new power units will be one of the major engineering challenges of the weekend. Ferrari is already evaluating its own SF-26 Monza configuration and Straight Line Mode strategy as it prepares for its home Grand Prix.
Across the circuit’s four principal straights and 11 corners, Lubieniecki’s simulation predicts repeated instances of super clipping. The term describes the point at which the available electrical deployment can no longer sustain maximum combined power, causing the car to progressively lose acceleration and then speed before the braking zone.
Even with the FIA reducing the permitted recharge requirement to 5MJ per lap, the simulation suggests that the problem would not disappear. Instead, cars could deploy aggressively at the beginning of a straight before gradually losing performance as their available electrical energy becomes insufficient.
Roggia section shows how severe the speed loss could become
One of the clearest examples appears on the approach to the Variante della Roggia. Drivers reach that section after two substantial straights separated only by the opening chicane, leaving limited opportunity for meaningful energy recovery before another lengthy period of full-throttle running.
According to the simulation, a 2026 car could reach approximately 280km/h earlier in that section before its speed progressively falls towards 250km/h by the time it reaches the braking zone. Rather than continuing to accelerate towards the corner, the car would therefore be slowing despite the driver remaining on full throttle.
That behaviour would be especially striking at Monza, where minimising drag has historically allowed Formula 1 cars to continue building speed deep into the straights. The 2026 regulations create a different equation, with aerodynamic efficiency and electrical deployment increasingly interconnected. Ferrari’s preparations reflect that challenge, with the team also assessing a specific low-drag rear-wing solution alongside its latest power unit developments.
Lesmo braking zones may not provide enough energy recovery
The second sector does not necessarily solve the problem. Lesmo 1 and Lesmo 2 provide important braking phases that can contribute to battery recovery, yet the simulation indicates that they may still be insufficient to prevent further clipping later around the lap.
Another substantial loss of electrical deployment is predicted on the run from Lesmo 2 towards Ascari. The same issue could then return on the following high-speed section leading towards the Parabolica, meaning the limitation may affect several of the areas where straight-line performance traditionally matters most.
The difficulty is not simply achieving the highest possible peak speed. Teams must decide how and where to deploy their available electrical energy so that the car produces the quickest overall lap rather than exhausting its useful deployment too early. That makes the 2026 Italian Grand Prix an especially important test of the new hybrid concepts and the software controlling them.
Ferrari has already encountered the importance of hybrid management this season, with previous analysis examining an SF-26 hybrid software limitation at Zandvoort. Monza will place a very different demand on the system because of the much longer periods of sustained acceleration.
Ferrari brings further power unit development to its home race
The challenge arrives as the Maranello team prepares further power unit development for its home event. Ferrari is targeting Monza with its evolved ADUO-2 specification, another important element as engineers try to improve performance and efficiency under the 2026 regulations. The latest version has been the subject of extensive preparation, with the ADUO-2 upgrade among Ferrari’s key technical developments for Monza.
However, no single upgrade removes the broader strategic problem facing the field. Every team will need to decide how aggressively to use its electrical energy, how much drag to remove from the car and where accepting some loss of speed may produce a better overall lap.
The result could be a version of Monza unlike the one Formula 1 has become accustomed to. The circuit will retain its long straights and low-downforce character, but the cars may no longer remain close to maximum power throughout them. Instead, energy deployment, recovery and the timing of super clipping could become defining factors across the weekend.
For Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and the rest of the grid, the Italian Grand Prix therefore offers one of the clearest tests yet of how the 2026 technical regulations behave at an extreme circuit. Further updates throughout the weekend can be followed in our 2026 Italian Grand Prix coverage, alongside detailed analysis in the Ferrari technical analysis section.
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