F1 drivers brace for 'super unnatural' power swings in Baku

Baku's long straights will expose a strange quirk of F1's 2026 cars this weekend, with drivers bracing for 'super unnatural' power swings that could define qualifying and safety.

The 2km flat-out run forces drivers to deploy most of their battery before Turn 1, leaving them with drastically reduced power through the middle sector. Haas's Ollie Bearman called it 'super unnatural'—maximum horsepower out of Turn 2, then only two-thirds after the short sprint to Turn 3. 'We've never had that before until February.'

Why it matters:

This energy disparity creates dangerous closing speeds. Cars on out-laps run on ICE power alone at around 200km/h, while those on flying laps approach at 350km/h. Fernando Alonso warned about flat-out Turns 18-19, saying, 'There is no way to move. That will be one of the challenges of the weekend.'

The details:

• Drivers have no control; software manages deployment. Bearman says they just 'press throttle and brake, and it takes care of itself.'
• Pierre Gasly stressed that starting a lap below 100% battery causes early energy clipping, costing km/h over the long straight—'quite costly' in qualifying and the race.
• Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto expects 'a bit of a mess' when leaving the final corner on a push lap, and doubts much can be done about it.
• A 1250m zone after Turn 16 allows drivers to run on ICE power only, adding to the variance between laps.

What's next:

Friday qualifying could be chaotic for another reason: 39km/h wind gusts. Franco Colapinto recalled last year's 'sketchy' gusts between buildings causing red flags. Arvid Lindblad thinks the 2026 cars are less aero-sensitive, but energy management and traffic will still define the weekend.