Reigning F1 world champion Lando Norris delivered a blunt warning about the sport’s new 2026 regulations after the season opener at Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit.
Norris said the cars create artificial racing and dangerous speed differences between drivers, adding that competitors now feel they are “waiting for something to go horribly wrong.”
His criticism quickly spread through the grid. Several drivers voiced similar concerns, turning the first race of the new rules into one of the most unified public pushbacks from drivers in recent years.
The backlash came after the opening round of the season in Australia. While the race produced action on track, many drivers left the paddock uneasy about what the new hybrid regulations might bring next.
Norris says race conditions were “even worse” than qualifying
Norris entered the race weekend already sceptical of the new cars. After Sunday’s race, his concerns only grew.
The McLaren driver started sixth and finished fifth. He was the team’s only runner in the race and spent much of the afternoon fighting a car, which he felt was difficult to drive.
After the race, Norris told reporters the car behaved “even worse” in race trim than it had in qualifying, where he had already struggled in fast corners.
He said he battled several problems during the race and admitted the team has a lot to fix. The car felt slow early in the race before improving slightly later on.
“At the end of the race we were, I think, a little bit better and a bit more competitive, but comparing to Max, comparing to the cars ahead, not even close. We have a lot of things to look into, to try and understand, and I think we have to understand the power unit more, but that’s what today was for, and we’ll see what we can learn for next week,” Norris said.
He said the team must learn more about the new power unit, but stressed the issues go beyond the engine alone. Norris said the car itself needs improvement.
Despite the frustration, he said McLaren still has time to recover during the season. He also praised the strong performance from Mercedes and driver George Russell.
“We need to learn, we need to understand quickly,” the Briton said. “But it does take time.”
Norris warns artificial racing could lead to dangerous crashes
The core of Norris’ criticism focuses on how the new hybrid system works.
Under the 2026 rules, drivers must carefully manage electrical energy during each lap. They harvest power in some parts of the track and deploy it in others.
That system can create large speed gaps between cars. One driver might be harvesting energy while another behind them deploys full power.
Norris said those gaps can reach 30, 40 or even 50 km/h. When asked if the race turned out to be too chaotic for his liking, he was unambiguous in his response.
“Way too much. It’s chaos, you’re going to have a big accident, which is a shame. You’re driving, and we’re the ones just waiting for something to happen and something to go quite horribly wrong,” the 26-year-old said via Motorsport.
“That’s not a nice position to be in, but there’s nothing we can really do about that now. It’s a shame, it’s very artificial, depending on what the power unit decides to do and randomly does at times,” he added.
He warned that if a car hits another with that speed difference, the impact could launch a car into the air or toward barriers. Norris also raised concerns about possible risks to fans if such crashes occur.
Despite the alarm, Norris believes major changes will be difficult. Teams and manufacturers have already invested heavily in the new power unit design.
F1 leaders respond as debate over rules grows
Formula 1 leadership has acknowledged the criticism but has pushed back on the timing.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said it was wrong for drivers to criticise the new era before it fully begins. The FIA had also asked drivers for feedback on the regulations shortly before the race weekend.
Four-time champion Max Verstappen responded with his characteristic dry humour. He said the request came “a bit late.”
The challenge comes from the structure of the new engines. The 2026 power units split energy almost evenly between sustainable fuel and electric power.
On tracks like Albert Park, which have few heavy braking zones, drivers struggle to recharge the battery. They must lift off the throttle in fast corners to harvest energy, which disrupts the rhythm of a lap.
Officials have discussed a possible adjustment called increased “super clipping.” The change would allow cars to harvest more energy at full throttle, raising the limit from 250kW to 350kW.
The idea was first proposed by McLaren team principal Andrea Stella and was even given a trial run during pre-season testing, with satisfactory results according to Stella.
Supporters believe that could reduce the strange lift-and-coast behaviour drivers now use to manage energy. Verstappen, however, doubts the fix will solve the problem everywhere because each circuit affects the system differently.
With the championship now heading to the next round in China, the debate over the 2026 rules is unlikely to fade.
The opening race delivered excitement for viewers. But the strength of the drivers’ response, led by Norris, suggests the sport faces deeper questions about how its new era should work.
