{"id":583209,"date":"2026-04-03T16:33:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T16:33:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/583209\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T16:33:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T16:33:18","slug":"why-lewis-hamiltons-battle-with-lando-norris-highlights-another-critical-2026-f1-flaw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/583209\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Lewis Hamilton’s battle with Lando Norris highlights another critical 2026 F1 flaw"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Suzuka race highlighted why the 2026 Formula 1 regulations can both create exciting races \u2013 thanks to hybrid energy deployment strategies that cause near-constant passing \u2013 but also what the critical issues are that need addressing, starting at next week\u2019s meeting between F1, the FIA, and the teams.<\/p>\n

Precisely because of this dynamic of overtakes and counter-overtakes, the Japanese race also offered a chance to observe how certain behaviours of the complex new power units can affect how drivers must handle their cars \u2013 almost unnaturally \u2013 forcing them to adapt more to energy management logic than to instinct.<\/p>\n

Read Also:<\/p>\n

This is something that also affects qualifying, and it\u2019s one of the reasons many drivers have pointed out that it\u2019s now more advantageous to stay below the limit rather than take unnecessary risks.<\/p>\n

The issue doesn\u2019t only concern single-lap pace, however; it also impacts on-track battles. One of the clearest examples seen in Japan was the fight between Lando Norris<\/a> and Lewis Hamilton<\/a> in the final laps.<\/p>\n

\"Lewis <\/p>\n

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari<\/p>\n

Photo by: Ferrari<\/p>\n

For the attacking driver, the most effective choice was generally to use energy between Spoon and the final chicane. In that section, significantly higher speeds were reached, while the driver ahead tended to suffer a sharper drop when the MGU-K stopped providing support, then entering a recharge phase with super clipping.<\/p>\n

This dynamic appeared on lap 50, when Norris, using electric boost out of Spoon, managed to close the gap significantly before 130R. He got so close to Hamilton that he had to lift off at nearly 330 km\/h \u2013 a speed where the limit wasn\u2019t just slipstreaming but also available grip.<\/p>\n

Up to this point, there would be nothing unusual. The problem arises from what happened next. Between 130R and the final chicane, there is still some distance, and to avoid losing too much ground, the pursuing driver has to get back on the throttle. In these situations \u2013 also due to the large speed difference \u2013 the chasing driver would prefer the power unit to reduce electric motor support.<\/p>\n

\"Lando <\/p>\n

Lando Norris, McLaren<\/p>\n

Photo by: Lars Baron \/ LAT Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n

This would still allow an attack or even completing an overtake, especially when the driver ahead, like Hamilton in this case, is in a recharge phase with super clipping. It would also bring another advantage: helping save energy for the following straight, the main straight, where many counter-overtakes were seen during the race.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s where the problem emerges. If 130R is taken flat-out, it means the full-throttle section from Spoon onward is longer and there\u2019s continuity in throttle application. Therefore, the control unit governing the power unit follows a specific curve for reducing MGU-K support. But if the driver is in overtaking mode or using boost, the moment they lift off the throttle, that energy reduction curve is reset due to the regulations.<\/p>\n

In essence, when getting back on the throttle after lifting \u2013 as in Norris\u2019 case \u2013 the power unit is forced by regulation to restore electric motor support, delivering at least 200 kW for at least one second before resuming the MGU-K reduction curve. This means the driver ends up with surplus MGU-K power even when it\u2019s not desired, consuming more energy than intended. This rule was introduced for safety and to prevent simulating traction control on corner exit, but clearly the situation changes at the end of a straight.<\/p>\n

\"Isack <\/p>\n

Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing<\/p>\n

Photo by: Clive Mason \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

This is something drivers have no control over. The only way to avoid it is to keep the throttle fully open, preventing the power unit control system from resetting this \u201ccounter\u201d and allowing it to continue the natural reduction of electric motor power.<\/p>\n

This is what happened, for example, to Isack Hadjar<\/a> in the early laps, when his engineer told him over the radio that, using boost out of Spoon, he could not afford to lift at 130R. This action reset the MGU-K power reduction process and cost him energy when he went back to full throttle for the final section before the chicane.<\/p>\n

The problem is that this logic becomes much harder to manage in a battle. In his duel with Hamilton on lap 50, Norris was forced to lift off also to avoid running into the Ferrari<\/a> driver, who no longer had electric support because he hadn\u2019t activated boost. At that point, such a large speed difference \u2013 and the fact that energy would be wasted when getting back on the throttle \u2013 pushes the driver toward attempting a forced overtake.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Norris tried to handle the situation differently, partially applying the throttle instead of going immediately back to full power. This helps mitigate the effect, but it\u2019s clear how unnatural it is, in a duel, to see a driver almost forced into attempting an overtake due to energy management dynamics. The result was that he found himself without battery to defend on the following straight.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem is, it deploys into 130R,\u201d Norris explained after the race on Sunday. \u201cI have to lift, otherwise I’ll drive into him, and I’m not allowed to go back on throttle. If I go on throttle, my battery deploys, and I don’t want it to deploy because it should have cut. But because you lift and you have to go back on, it redeploys. There’s nothing I can do about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The remedy in these cases would be simple: don\u2019t lift off the throttle. But it\u2019s one thing to do that when driving alone, and another to manage it in the middle of a fight, where situations are unpredictable and it becomes unnatural for drivers to adjust their behaviour based on optimal energy deployment.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t an entirely new issue, but with a 350 kW MGU-K capable of delivering so much power, these situations carry far more weight than they might seem.<\/p>\n

See also:<\/p>\n

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– The Motorsport.com Team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Suzuka race highlighted why the 2026 Formula 1 regulations can both create exciting races \u2013 thanks to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":583210,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[64,63,817,277594,813,816,107978,85,285636],"class_list":{"0":"post-583209","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-formula-1","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-f1","11":"tag-f1-japanese-grand-prix","12":"tag-formula-1","13":"tag-formula1","14":"tag-japanese-gp","15":"tag-sports","16":"tag-why-lewis-hamiltons-battle-with-lando-norris-highlights-another-critical-2026-f1-flaw"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/583209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=583209"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/583209\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/583210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=583209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=583209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=583209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}