#superclipping

The core issue is that cars are no longer running consistent power through a lap.

Because of harvesting and deployment:

One car might be fully deploying electrical power

The car ahead might be harvesting or out of battery (“superclipping”)

That creates sudden, non-intuitive speed differences where drivers are still at full throttle, but one car just… stops accelerating the same way.

At Suzuka, that’s especially nasty (but not as dangerous as at a street circuit like Baku or Vegas):

High-speed sections (130R, Esses, Degner)

Limited reaction time

Narrow margins

Drivers have already described sections where you’re effectively coasting before braking because the battery cuts out, with speed drops of up to ~50 km/h before the braking zone. We've SEEN the on-boards (even if the F1 is trying to cover it up).

So instead of predictable braking battles, you get:

unpredictable lift phases

inconsistent closing speeds

cars becoming “sitting ducks” mid-corner or on entry

The specific Bearman Incident at the Japanese GP

From what’s been reported:

He approached the alpine with a much higher closing speed

Had to take avoiding action off the line

Ended up off-track and into the barrier

That aligns exactly with the superclipping problem:

One driver has energy → one driver doesn’t → speed delta spikes instantly

That’s not a normal racing delta like tire wear or slipstream. It’s artificial and abrupt!

F1 has always had closing speeds and risk under braking. But those were predictable and tied to driver input.

This new issue is different because it’s system-driven, creates non-linear speed differences, and happens in high-speed corners, not just straights.

That’s a bad combination.

My conclusion right now is: When drivers are forced into energy management → fewer natural moves. So when overtakes do happen, the speed differences are more extreme and less predictable.