Lando Norris says 2026 F1 power units ‘hurt the soul’ as Suzuka speeds fall

Lando Norris has pointed firmly to the power unit regulations as being the weak point of the new F1 regulations, saying it “hurts the soul” to see speeds bleed away.

The energy-starved power units introduced in F1 2026 mean high-speed corners require the drivers to compromise on apex speed in order to optimise energy harvesting and deployment for the straights.

Lando Norris criticises 2026 power unit impact at Suzuka

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As one of F1’s more high-speed circuits, Suzuka is one of the venues at which the shortcomings of the new regulations are exposed: with limited heavy braking zones to help the drivers regenerate energy from the straights, the compromises are being made through sections like the high-speed esses and the Degner corners.

While still being taken quickly, the drivers aren’t on the ragged edge of what their cars are capable of, which has completely changed the complexion of qualifying.

For Suzuka, the FIA took the pre-emptive step of reducing the maximum harvestable energy down from 9mJ to 8mJ in a bid to reduce the drivers’ need to engage in unnatural techniques to harvest as much energy as possible, with 8mJ being easier to regenerate through natural driving.

But the cars are still running out of energy, particularly on the long run uphill from Spoon to 130R and approaching the Casio Triangle chicane. Despite the reduced downforce of the new cars, 130R’s challenge has been greatly reduced, while the high-speed sweeps of the Esses in the first sector are now taken at a more sedate pace.

In its simplest terms, the new rules actively punish drivers for hustling through corners, and reward those driving more conservatively by ensuring they have more deployable energy for the straights.

The issues are most noticeable in qualifying, leading a frustrated Charles Leclerc to lash out after finishing fourth as he labelled the new rules a “f**king joke”, and Lando Norris was another voice of discontent when he spoke to the media after the session.

“Compared to last year and the previous years, certainly not,” the McLaren driver said, when asked if qualifying at Suzuka is as enjoyable as in the past.

“It still hurts your soul when you see your speed dropping so much by 50 to 60 kph down the straight.”

Pole this year, taken by Kimi Antonelli, is just 1.8 seconds slower than last year’s, the final year of the previous regulation cycle, but it’s not the ultimate lap time that the drivers are complaining about; it’s the nature of how it’s accomplished.

“It still feels quick, it’s not like the laptimes are miles off,” Norris said.

“With a 26.9, I was on pole last year, a couple of seconds, which is not a huge amount.

“So it still feels special. It still feels like it’s an on-edge lap, and you’re taking risks here and there and so forth. It doesn’t feel as amazing as last year, but I don’t think any track will.”

The rule changes on the power unit front have coincided with an overhaul of the chassis and aero regulations, and, in Norris’ eyes, these regulations are a huge positive, although let down by the engine in the back.

“When people have complained about the car, it’s not directly about the car itself. The car is better to follow. It’s difficult, but it’s more fun to drive in some ways,” he said.

“The car as a chassis and, as a balance, what is the frustrating part at times, and the thing that people have complained about is the power unit side.

“It’s not that this car is crap to drive. Some people have better cars. We had a much better car last year than we have now.

“Of course, I wish we had a better car, but the problem is just the stuff behind the driver and not the stuff up ahead. So yeah, that’s the difference.

“The car is better to drive, better to follow, better to race, you can race better and closer, and it’s more exciting. The problem is the stuff that makes you go faster.”

More on the Japanese Grand Prix

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Lando Norris: I’ve been playing catch-up this weekend

Taking fifth place on the grid, Norris is eager to score some good results as he bids to kickstart a proper title defence. Having sat out the Chinese Grand Prix as McLaren encountered power unit-related issues on both cars, his Japanese weekend has also seen him hit by ERS issues that have compromised his lap count and knowledge.

“I mean, it’s a mix of things. It’s not just that,” he said, when asked if he’s still playing catch-up.

“It’s also because I’ve tried more things with the setup, with the car, and understood more things.

“It’s hard to quantify that amount, but I’ve certainly been playing catch-up the whole weekend and, even for tomorrow, you know I’ve done no laps of high fuel, no continuous laps.

“So it’s certainly not been luck’s not been on my side so far, but I feel like I was getting better and better in qualifying and understanding how I can push the car more.

“So, yeah, it’s been difficult. I’m happy with P5, the gap is still quite big to the guys ahead. So it’s not like I’m totally satisfied. I think there are things I should have done better, and I didn’t do well enough. But otherwise, I’m sure, with more laps, I could have improved.”

Understanding the best way to drive the lap, optimising deployment, is one area where Norris said he believes there was more time on the board, having missed out on P4 by just 0.004 seconds.

Ending the day six-tenths off pole, Norris said he felt he and McLaren had done a good job.

“There are some places where, as the grip went up, I felt like I just under-delivered and I over-drove,” he said.

“I wanted to improve in some areas, and I needed to do more lifting here and more harvesting here, whatever it might be. If I had just done more of those laps prior in the weekend. I would have understood some of those things ahead of time.

“So it’s just so, so difficult. There are so many things. It’s hard to quantify what and where, and how much. But yeah, if you ask anyone, would you have wanted more laps, they’re not gonna say no.

“So yeah, it’s the way it is. And I feel like we still did a good job of what we had.”

Missing time in practice, as Norris did, is particularly compromising in these early stages of a new regulation set.

“100 per cent,” he said.

“That’s obviously on top of it being a new car, and it’s a new track where the tarmac is a lot grippier here, new tarmac as well.

“It’s a much quicker track, so we have to drive the car quite differently from how we’ve driven the last few. You see mistakes people have been making in Spoon and things with the rear, and it’s just not easy.

“So certainly now it costs more than before, not just as a driver, but also to understand how the power unit works, to get the battery in the right way. Then, you have to lift more in places that you have to then adjust for with the setup, because you have to lift more.

“There are a lot of little things. So, yeah, it’s certainly not all the gap today. Some of it’s just me not being on top form, but it certainly costs more nowadays.”

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