Carlos Sainz believes he is closing in on Formula 1\u2019s new qualifying technique after finally breaking into Q2 at the Japanese Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
F1 2026 wholesale regulation has put the onus on the power units, with the emphasis on electrical energy.<\/p>\n
Carlos Sainz explains new F1 qualifying approach under 2026 rules<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n The new PU has a 50\/50 split between electrical and combustion power, with the new energy recovery systems able to recover twice as much energy per lap as they did last year. But at the same time, the MGU-H, which controlled the lower revs under battery power, has been removed.<\/p>\n It has not only created issues at launches, with the drivers struggling to find the ideal start configuration, but it also led to more lift-and-coast, battery harvesting and super clipping.<\/p>\n And with that went the flat-out 100 per cent start to finish lap in qualifying.<\/p>\n Former F1 driver Jean Alesi believes it is actually penalising the drivers who are quickest over a single lap<\/a> such as Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen.<\/p>\n More on the F1 2026 championship<\/p>\n F1 2026: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between teammates<\/a><\/p>\n F1 2026: Head-to-head race statistics between teammates<\/a><\/p>\n But the rules are the rules for everyone.<\/p>\n Carlos Sainz<\/a>, who had six pole positions with Ferrari, has just one Q2 appearance in the new regulations with Williams.<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t put a lap on the board in Australia, undone by a battery issue, while in China he was 17th before breaking into Q2 in Japan where he qualified P16.<\/p>\n He reckons he\u2019s beginning to get a handle on today\u2019s qualifying, which isn\u2019t about going flat-out for a lap \u2013 as the batteries can\u2019t \u2013 but about managing one\u2019s efforts to put in the best lap possible.<\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, my group of engineers and myself,\u201d he told the media in Japan, \u201cwe\u2019ve done a very good job over the winter to understand it, and I feel like we\u2019re doing a very good job on understanding it and driving it.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd in that sense, I think I\u2019m 90, 95 per cent close to understanding everything.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s definitely surprises that come now and then, but I feel like I\u2019ve been not very surprised by it, given how new it is. It\u2019s more how disciplined you want to be with your driving.<\/p>\n \u201cSo it\u2019s how your natural instinct, or animal instinct, kicks in in a Q2 lap or a Q3 lap, when you go and push that out, how much you\u2019re gonna upset the system, and the system is gonna backfire in you.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd yeah, I think we all understanding this, it just goes against our natural instinct.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that\u2019s where you will see us, always a bit gutted after qualifying, because you always feel like you could have done better, you always feel like you could have done more, you always feel like you can be more efficient when you\u2019re driving.<\/p>\n \u201cBut the reality is that I think, from my side, I understand it\u2019s just how disciplined I want to be with it.\u201d<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n