George Russell says FIA could have cut energy limit even further

Russell backs energy reduction, but wants even more

George Russell believes Formula 1 made the right call in reducing the energy limit for qualifying at the Japanese Grand Prix — but argues the sport could have gone even further.

Russell, who topped one Friday session and finished third in the other at Suzuka, supported the late adjustment but suggested the reduction may not have been ambitious enough.

Why Suzuka exposes the issue

Suzuka presents a particular challenge under the current energy regulations. Like Australia’s Albert Park, it features a relative lack of heavy braking zones — limiting opportunities for drivers to regenerate energy through conventional braking.

As a result, drivers are forced into super-clipping. This occurs when a driver remains on full throttle even as the car begins to slow, with onboard systems harvesting energy — up to 250kW of the 350kW battery capacity — rather than delivering maximum performance.

The effect is most visible at the end of long straights, where cars hit a very high peak speed before sharply de-rating as energy recovery begins. That sudden drop-off creates an exaggerated contrast in speed, particularly into major braking zones.

Russell acknowledged that the revised 8MJ limit reduces the severity of the problem, but he believes a further reduction could have produced a cleaner effect.

"It would have increased lap times a little bit, maybe in the order of one second a lap, but having this really high peak top speed and then de-rating and super-clipping down to quite a slow speed into the first corner, as an example, would have been less extreme," he explained.

Qualifying implications

Despite the broader debate, Russell indicated that any remaining deployment concerns are manageable heading into qualifying.

"The deployment issue out of the last corner was probably costing me two to three tenths, but I think it's pretty easy to rectify for [qualifying], so we're not too concerned about that," he said.

While satisfied with the FIA, Formula 1 and the Power Unit manufacturers’ decision to intervene, Russell’s view is clear: the championship can afford to be bolder.

"So, I think we can afford to drop it, but generally, it was the right decision to change."

The adjustment may have softened the extremes of super-clipping at Suzuka — but in Russell’s eyes, the sport has further room to refine how qualifying energy is managed on energy-sensitive circuits.