The director of Red Bull Racing, Laurent Mekies, has stated that there is a consensus among Formula 1 teams regarding the need to return to “full acceleration” qualifying as soon as possible. This proposal is particularly focused on the 2027 season.
Since the new hybrid engines came into effect, with nearly 50% electric power, energy management has become a key factor in vehicle performance. This has led drivers to readjust their strategies, including the need to reduce speed before corners in order to conserve energy.
This dynamic has resulted in a negative reception regarding qualifying, which many believe no longer challenges drivers as it used to. “If there is one thing we all agree on, it’s that we would like qualifying to be as close as possible to a ‘full acceleration’ style,” Mekies commented after the Japanese Grand Prix.
Despite the difficulties in implementing significant changes during the season, Mekies points out that it is possible to make gradual adjustments, aiming to implement significant improvements by 2027. “We are in time to make the necessary changes, and I am sure we can make several small improvements for the 2026 season,” he added.
Although F1 cars currently have remarkable acceleration, lap times are not too different from the previous ones. In a recent competition at Suzuka, Kimi Antonelli established pole with a time of 1m28.778s, a record only 1.8 seconds slower than Max Verstappen’s from the previous year, but in fact faster than the pole times of the last two seasons.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
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