Norris blasts ‘worst’ F1 cars ever as 2026 battery rules frustrate drivers

Lando Norris has delivered a scathing verdict on Formula 1’s new 2026 power unit regulations, adamant the “50/50 split just doesn’t work”.

The reigning world champion’s comments come after he qualified sixth for the Australian Grand Prix, a session in which he hit debris from Kimi Antonelli’s car as he was too busy look at his steering wheel to manage his batter power to see it on the track.

Lando Norris criticises Formula 1 2026 power unit rules

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This weekend’s Australian Grand Prix is Formula 1’s first opportunity to see the new regulations in action, and it’s fair to say not all the drivers are impressed.

Harvesting and deploying battery power have become the buzzwords of the F1 2026 season following Formula 1’s decision to introduce a new engine formula that includes a 50/50 split between electrical and combustion power.

And Norris says that’s the problem with the new era.

“I could talk for hours,” he told PlanetF1.com and other accredited media in Melbourne. “I think everyone knows what the issues are. It’s just the fact it’s a 50/50 split just doesn’t work. Straight line mode means you’ve got a lot of other issues at hand.

“But the fact you just decelerate so much before corners, you have to lift everywhere to make sure the pack’s at the top, the pack’s too high, you’re also screwed. It’s just difficult.

“But, yeah, it’s what we have. It doesn’t feel good as a driver, but I’m sure George is smiling, so doesn’t really matter in the end of the day. And just got to maximise what you’ve got.”

Norris qualified sixth for Sunday’s 58-lap grand prix, the reigning world champion almost a full second down on pole-sitter Russell.

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It was an eventful qualifying for Norris, whose McLaren MCL40 needed a bit of tape on the front wing before his final run after he hit a cooling fan that had fallen off Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes.

Whether it was a result of that or not, Norris’ endplate failed on his final run.

The Briton revealed he was too busy looking at his steering wheel as he managed his battery life to see the debris.

“You know, I’m looking at my steering wheel, it’s why I don’t see the debris because I have to look at what the speed I’m going to get at the end of the straight and know if I need a brake 30 metres earlier, 10 metres later,” he said.

“So that’s also the problem, you have to look at the steering wheel every three seconds to see what’s going to happen otherwise you’re going to end up off the track.

“It’s just we’ve come from the best cars ever made in Formula 1, and the nicest to drive to probably the worst, and it sucks, but you have to live with it, and then just maximise what you what you get given.

“So it’s certainly different. It’s certainly not like it was last year. And it’s not like push this corner more, because sometimes you push more, you lose the battery and just go slower.

“So you have to understand how to do things. Mercedes have obviously understood that. They would understand, because they’re a good team, and it’s also their own engine. They’ve understood more than we have, and we’ll get there. It just takes a bit of time.”

Asked if this is what F1 ‘is meant to be’, he simply replied: “Not really, no.”

Norris isn’t the only driver who feels that way.

Asked about Friday’s ‘quite opinionated’ driver meeting, he said: “The thing is, as drivers, I think we try to have the interest in the sport in our minds better than others, and we also want the best for the sport. You know, at the same time, we don’t try and do things to make it more fun for us. We try do it so it’s cooler cars, looks better to watch, more exciting, all these different things.

“The rules have been changed because that’s what manufacturers want. But if you have probably 18 other drivers complaining, actually it’s 20, I don’t know what’s better for the sport or not.”

Additional reporting by Mat Coch

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