🏎️ F1's Ultimate Energy Challenge

Spa-Francorchamps has always been one of Formula 1's greatest engineering challenges. Under the 2026 regulations, however, it becomes something entirely different.

At 7.004 km, it is the longest lap of the season. Five Straight Line Mode zones, long full-throttle sections and more than 100 metres of elevation change place every major performance area under pressure. Aerodynamic efficiency, mechanical balance, tyre management and suspension all remain crucial. But this year one factor stands above the rest:

Electrical energy.

The new power units generate almost 1,000 bhp, yet nearly half of that performance now depends on how intelligently teams manage electrical energy throughout the lap. Spa is a circuit where poor energy management is likely to cost more lap time than an imperfect aerodynamic set-up. This weekend, engineers won't simply be tuning the car.

They'll be managing electricity.

The new 350 kW MGU-K now delivers almost 470 bhp—nearly three times more electrical power than under the previous regulations. That sounds like a huge advantage, until you realise the battery can sustain maximum deployment for only around 11 seconds.

Spa's longest acceleration zones last considerably longer, forcing every team to answer the same unavoidable question: where do you stop deploying?

This is where superclipping begins. Many fans think it happens because the battery is empty. In reality, it is a carefully planned energy management strategy. The driver keeps the throttle fully open, but the MGU-K progressively switches from motor to generator mode. Instead of adding power to the rear wheels, it starts absorbing torque from the internal combustion engine to recharge the battery.

The driver remains flat out and the engine is still producing maximum power, yet acceleration drops because part of the engine's output is now generating electricity instead of driving the car. Every team is forced to superclip. The only difference is when, where and how much.

The biggest strategic battle at Spa won't happen in the pit lane. It will happen inside the battery.

Teams can harvest up to 7 MJ per lap in qualifying and 8.5 MJ during the race, plus the 4 MJ available from the battery under the regulations. It sounds like plenty. It isn't.

Electrical energy has become Formula 1's newest currency. Spend too much attacking out of La Source and there may not be enough deployment left to defend into Les Combes. Harvest too aggressively and you'll sacrifice acceleration exactly when your rival is still deploying.

Every deployment map is therefore a compromise between attack and defence. Engineers aren't trying to maximise electrical power—they're deciding where to spend it, where to save it and where to deliberately accept superclipping.

At Spa, every overtake becomes an energy investment. Spend too much today and you'll pay for it later in the lap, defending with little more than the internal combustion engine against a rival still deploying almost 470 bhp of electrical power.

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