How does the FIA want to reduce superclipping in Silverstone qualifying?

Due to the unique characteristics of the Silverstone circuit, Formula One's governing body, the FIA has reduced the maximum rechargeable energy available during qualifying in a bid to reduce the severity of superclipping and prevent abrupt losses of electrical power.

The 2026 Formula 1 regulations have transformed the way teams approach energy management, and nowhere is that expected to be more apparent than at this weekend's British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

While Silverstone remains one of the fastest and most iconic circuits on the calendar, its layout also presents one of the biggest headaches for the new generation of power units. With long periods spent at full throttle and relatively few heavy braking zones, teams face a constant struggle to keep their batteries sufficiently charged throughout a qualifying lap.

According to FIA prediction, around 80% of the Silverstone lap will be completed at full throttle, making it one of the most demanding events of the season from an energy management perspective.

The challenge stems from the characteristics of the 2026 power units. With a much greater reliance on electrical energy than previous generations, recovering sufficient energy has become just as important as deploying it.

Normally, drivers recharge the battery under heavy braking, where the MGU-K harvests kinetic energy. Silverstone, however, offers only a handful of significant braking events. Instead, drivers are expected to use the circuit's famous high-speed corners to regenerate energy.

That means sacrificing some electrical assistance through corners in order to have enough battery available for the long acceleration zones that follow.

A challenge unique to the drivers' favourite circuits
Ironically, the circuits that drivers traditionally enjoy the most are proving to be the most difficult under the new regulations.

Fast, flowing layouts such as Silverstone feature very few slow corners and heavy braking zones, exactly the conditions that the 2026 hybrid systems require to recharge effectively.

As a result, teams will have to balance outright speed with careful battery management throughout the lap, making energy strategy almost as important as aerodynamic performance.

Silverstone has always rewarded commitment through high-speed corners. In 2026, however, it may also reward whichever team has found the most efficient way to harvest and deploy electrical energy around one of Formula 1's fastest circuits.

This unusual energy strategy will lead to extensive superclipping—the point at which the battery can no longer provide its maximum electrical power because its available energy has been depleted.

Rather than simply deploying full electric power throughout the lap, drivers will deliberately allow the battery to recharge through certain corners before using that stored energy on the following straight, where it delivers the greatest lap-time benefit.

The effect is particularly noticeable through Silverstone's legendary sequence of fast corners. Instead of treating Copse and the Maggots-Becketts-Chapel complex purely as flat-out corners, drivers may actually rely on reduced electrical deployment through much of the section, allowing the battery to recover before the Hangar Straight. Only a brief lift around Chapel may still be required depending on the team's energy strategy.

In effect, the battery itself becomes part of the car's speed management through the corners, replacing some of the conventional lift-off that drivers would otherwise use.

Recognising Silverstone's unique characteristics, the FIA has introduced further adjustments to the qualifying energy allocation.

For the British Grand Prix, the maximum rechargeable energy available during qualifying has been reduced from 7.5 MJ to 6.5 MJ, while the electrical power ramp-down rate has also been limited to 50 kW per second.

The intention is to reduce the severity of superclipping and prevent abrupt losses of electrical power that could create large speed differentials between cars during a lap.

Although these measures will not eliminate the issue entirely, they should make energy deployment more consistent and reduce the most extreme performance swings.