George Russell has said there is \u201ca lot of low-hanging fruit\u201d to be taken up in tweaking the F1 2026 rules, with a change to super clipping recharge limits being a \u201cno-brainer\u201d in his eyes.<\/p>\n
Drivers can currently harvest energy up to 250kW under super clipping \u2013 siphoning off energy from the internal combustion engine for battery power when the car runs at top speed \u2013 which is 100kW short of the battery\u2019s maximum output.<\/p>\n
George Russell: Super clipping change a \u2018no-brainer\u2019 in any F1 2026 rule tweaks<\/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 Team representatives are due to meet with the FIA, FOM and power unit manufacturers on Monday for a third set of talks in April regarding the F1 2026 regulations.<\/p>\n Earlier meetings are understood to have been positive, with a recent driver meeting with the FIA having garnered opinion before a vote takes place between the sport\u2019s key stakeholders on Monday.<\/p>\n PlanetF1.com understands a reduction<\/a> in overall harvestable energy per lap has been mooted as a solution, to reduce lift-and-coast requirements to generate energy.<\/p>\n Alternatively, increasing super clipping limits to 350kW has also been discussed, to enable drivers to faster recharge their batteries while at full throttle and maximum battery output, which in turn would reduce the bleeding of top speed towards the ends of straights.<\/p>\n More on F1 teams and recent FIA talks<\/p>\n F1 team valuations surge as Ferrari tops billion-dollar boom<\/a><\/p>\n FIA reveals \u2018difficult topics\u2019 discussed in \u2018constructive\u2019 meeting over F1 2026 rules<\/a><\/p>\n While wholesale regulation changes are not expected as a result of Monday\u2019s vote, Russell<\/a> explained the positivity in which the drivers and FIA have engaged over the subject.<\/p>\n \u201cThere will be a compromise somewhere,\u201d he told PlanetF1.com and other outlets, \u201cbecause right now, the cars are set up to produce the fastest lap times possible, which is leading to this lift-and-coast driving style and a bit of energy management here and there, but there\u2019s a lot of low hanging fruit.<\/p>\n \u201cFor example, the minus 350 kilowatts super clip is a no brainer, and that already, in itself, is going to avoid a lot of lift-and-coast.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are other small parts of the regulation that say you can only derate the engine at a certain rate, so on a very short straight, there isn\u2019t enough time to go from 350 kilowatts to a super clip because the straight is too short.<\/p>\n \u201cSome small changes around these regulations will have a major improvement for the overall driving experience.<\/p>\n \u201cSo as I said, this break\u2019s offered a good opportunity for everyone to go around that loop.<\/p>\n \u201cThe FIA have been in a lot of communication with a handful of drivers, and that\u2019s been sort of reflective, and at least from the FIA technical standpoint, it\u2019s probably the closest relationship we\u2019ve had with them in numerous years. So, that\u2019s very positive to see.\u201d<\/p>\n Additional reporting by Mat Coch<\/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