The author’s initial professional grand prix experience took place at the 2002 Austrian event, an occasion predominantly recalled by many due to controversial team directives from Ferrari.
A much more pleasant recollection involves obtaining a media vest for the qualifying session and exploring the forested area beyond the pit lane, adjacent to the Jochen Rindt Kurve’s inner edge. From this vantage point, it was possible to witness Formula 1 vehicles pushed to their absolute limits with breathtaking accuracy.
In this close proximity, two vehicles particularly distinguished themselves as they sped past with intense, disciplined force: Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari and Kimi Raikkonen’s McLaren.
Qualifying should fundamentally represent the pinnacle of a racing driver’s skill, an enchanting sixty minutes of intense suspense, a precarious challenge where elite drivers in the quickest machines extend beyond all boundaries. Nevertheless, it has presently transformed into an alternative arena of competition.
Formula 1’s contentious fresh rules have introduced numerous significant issues, yet a prominent and frequently discussed one is the qualifying dilemma, preventing drivers from pushing their vehicles to full speed. It is evident, without requiring profound philosophical insight, that this undermines the very essence of the event.
Numerous competitors have voiced dissatisfaction regarding the penalty incurred for excessive cornering speed and increased electrical power usage, which results in reduced power on subsequent straight sections of the track. However, the issue extends further, rooted in the extraordinarily complex rules dictating the precise allocation and timing of electrical energy.
The intricacy of this system is such that instantaneous choices are now made by artificial intelligence programs, resulting in unusual occurrences like Charles Leclerc’s hampered qualifying session in China and Lando Norris inadvertently passing Lewis Hamilton in Japan.
Leclerc suffered a critical loss of energy in Chinese GP qualifying, after correcting a slide and getting back on the power
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Consequently, drivers are compelled to adopt a more cautious approach during qualifying; easing off the accelerator to manage a skid essentially disrupts the system’s calculations.
“The amount of practice laps completed also plays a role,” Norris stated at a media briefing held at McLaren’s facility this week. “The setup needs to adapt to specific conditions and is subject to minor adjustments. Unlike last year, there were no ready explanations for incidents, such as driver errors or more substantial vehicle problems.
“Yet, you strive to delay braking at every point, to engage the throttle immediately, and to maintain maximum velocity through rapid bends. Applying the throttle slightly, performing these small actions, is about constantly operating at the very edge of performance.
“The current situation still requires driving as fast as possible, but with new constraints like avoiding throttle application in specific areas, which is a completely new approach compared to what has been done previously.” Lando Norris
“That particular aspect has been somewhat removed. In locations such as Japan, where you typically push the limits in high-speed sections and intensely control the vehicle, certain opportunities for this have been diminished. The issue is that occasionally, as seen in China and other events, a driver error can paradoxically be advantageous, as it conserves battery power which is then reallocated elsewhere, leading to an unexpected benefit.
“Ideally, none of these complications would exist. The objective would simply be to drive with maximum velocity. While it remains about driving as fast as possible, it now involves specific restrictions, such as avoiding acceleration at certain points, which is entirely foreign to experience in single-seater or GT racing, or any form of racing really.”
Competitors are now forced to contend with unprecedented subtleties, like determining the precise moment to achieve full throttle at the start of a qualifying lap. In past times, this would have simply been immediately upon exiting the last corner. That is no longer the case.
Norris feels the very essence of qualifying has been lost in F1 due to the new cars
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Furthermore, a precise set of guidelines dictates throttle control during particular sequences of bends, varying based on circuit layout, vehicle speed, and energy cell charge. The underlying rationales for these regulations are intricate and nuanced, interwoven with broader objectives of ensuring safety and preventing illicit advantages.
Considering the constrained electrical energy supply, achieving the fastest lap time involves strategically allocating that supplementary power, not always on straightaways. Usually, an acceleration burst from slow turns proves more beneficial if a longer track segment follows, as this yields a larger overall lap time improvement compared to utilizing more electrical power on straights, especially with the power reduction system active as stored energy depletes.
The deceleration rate differs across tracks and is precisely established to address potential safety concerns arising from inconsistent speeds as vehicles exhaust their power. Consequently, engine configurations are designed to curtail deployment during predefined ‘power-limited’ intervals, as agreed upon with the FIA beforehand.
To ensure safety, by preventing significant differences in power delivery, and to stop teams from simulating traction control, the engagement of power-limited modes and the transitional power-unit-pending states are controlled by the accelerator’s position at different stages, as well as how long the driver keeps their foot off the pedal.
However, should a driver need to ease off the accelerator to rectify a slide (like Leclerc in Chinese qualifying) or to prevent a collision with another car (as Norris experienced with Hamilton in Japan), this action can cause the system to restart. Therefore, upon reapplying the throttle, instead of a phase of diminishing electrical input, they receive a larger amount than anticipated, which then leads to an earlier depletion of power.
During qualifying sessions, this scenario occasionally benefits a driver. However, it is predominantly unhelpful.
“Precisely measuring the impact of each factor is challenging,” Norris commented. “Drivers are still required to perform exceptionally well. One cannot diminish the achievement of a pole-sitter, as their driving skill remains paramount.
Norris also accepts that Mercedes and its drivers are doing a better job than anyone else in mastering the new challenges in qualifying
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“Regardless of whether it’s George, Kimi, or any other driver, they must still perform outstandingly to extract maximum performance. It’s simply that the exceptional sensation of pushing an extra few percent during a qualifying lap is absent. As Charles perhaps mentioned, I experienced this in Shanghai when the grip increased slightly. I applied the throttle five to ten meters sooner, which felt positive, and I observed the delta time improving. Yet, upon reaching the straight, the car just slowed down. That is an unsettling feeling from within the cockpit. You think, ‘I performed better here, I took that chance, I managed the car, I felt I was striving for perfection.’ Then you’re met with an absurd disadvantage, traveling 10 km/h slower on a straight, ultimately losing more than you gained.
“Now, you must contend with your own internal qualifying struggle. This is the current reality. It doesn’t align with our ideal preference compared to past years, which I believe were much more favorable. Nevertheless, it is what it is. One must now make the most of the available resources.”
The impact of the modifications confirmed this week, slated for introduction at the Miami Grand Prix, remains to be evaluated. However, the core issue persists: if power distribution is managed by an algorithm that presumes superior knowledge to a driver’s pedal input, then the results of qualifying could just as easily be determined by examining a horoscope or interpreting prophecies…
Can the rule tweaks help solve F1’s qualifying problem?
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