Formula 1 Management has denied claims it purposely hid ‘super clipping’ by editing footage of Kimi Antonelli’s pole lap at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Antonelli outpaced Mercedes team-mate George Russell in qualifying at Suzuka to claim his second consecutive pole position, having become the youngest-ever pole-sitter in F1 last time out in China.
F1 normally releases footage from the onboard camera of the entire pole lap available but Antonelli’s Q3 effort in Japan caused a stir on social media when it emerged.
The onboard camera cut away from Antonelli’s camera to trackside shots as he exited Spoon Curve, meaning there was no footage Antonelli going through 130R and the final chicane.
This part of the circuit is where drivers where harvesting energy, or ‘super clipping, in their cars the most, with cars losing as much as 56km/h down the straights.
F1’s new power unit regulations have been heavily criticised by drivers and fans alike due to how much energy management drivers are having to do on fast laps.
The high-speed Suzuka Circuit has exposed this issue more than the first two tracks on the 2026 calendar, despite F1’s governing body the FIA reducing the permitted harvesting level on qualifying laps from 9MJ to 8MJ for this weekend.
The lack of onboard footage from Antonelli’s car prompted conspiracy theories and accusations from fans that F1 was deliberately hiding the most divisive aspect of the new rules by cutting away.
But F1 has denied this, insisting data issues was behind the loss of onboard footage.
“Unfortunately Kimi’s onboard camera had a technical issue part way through his lap, meaning we are unable to bring you the lap onboard in full,” F1 stated.
F1 did provide replays of onboard footage from Russell’s Mercedes passing through the final sector.
Several F1 drivers were left underwhelmed by qualifying at Suzuka, regarded as one of the best circuits in the world, with Fernando Alonso complaining that the driving challenge has “gone”.
“It’s gone,” the two-time world champion said. “I told you in Bahrain the chef could drive the car now. Maybe not the chef, but 50% of the team members I think, at least, can drive in Suzuka, because as I said a few times already the high-speed corners now became the charging station for the car.
“So you go slow there, you charge the battery in the high speed and then you have the full power on the straight. So the driver’s skill is not really needed anymore. You just need to back off the throttle or turn down the battery and you charge the thing. So no more challenge in the high speed.”
