Lando Norris admits he does agree with the criticism Max Verstappen has made about the new Formula 1 cars. After a string of comments from other drivers, the reigning world champion has now added his voice too. “I just wanted to say that I don’t want to complain about anything,” the Brit told the media after the test session on Thursday in Bahrain.
After Thursday morning’s test session in Bahrain, Norris has backed away from the comments he made during the opening test week. The McLaren driver says he deliberately wanted to offer a different perspective. “I just wanted to see what everyone’s reaction would be and I didn’t want to complain during the first moments. The reactions were entertaining, but the cars are very different,” Norris concluded.
‘Not as beautiful as last year’
Although Norris enjoys driving the 2026 cars, he says they lack the same purity as last year’s machines. “I certainly wouldn’t swap my seat for anything else — I’m still having fun and it’s still the job I love. That doesn’t change the fact that it’s not as pure and not as beautiful as last year,” the driver stated.
Besides Verstappen, other drivers have also voiced their views on the new cars. Charles Leclerc says he feels less enjoyment behind the wheel, while Lewis Hamilton sees an improvement thanks to the new regulations. “I agree with Max on most of the points, but it’s not that I don’t enjoy myself on track. Actually, I agree with every other driver, because their comments are pretty clear,” Norris said.
‘Getting the battery to work properly’
A key issue with the new cars is battery energy management, something Verstappen also flagged. Fernando Alonso has already pointed out that drivers are running slower through certain corners purely to save energy for the straights. “A lot of the driving is focused on trying to get the battery to work properly and less on how you can extract everything from the car as a driver,” Norris said.
The cars will continue to evolve through the season and that’s something Norris wants to see happen. “I think that as a championship, together with Formula 1 and the FIA, we will try to improve the cars. It is certainly not the purest form of racing — that is what Formula 1 should be,” the Brit concluded.
