Racing
© Jonathan Borba
Lando Norris said Formula 1’s latest tweaks to the 2026 regulations have not solved the core problem with the cars, arguing after Miami that drivers are still being punished for pushing flat-out and that “you just have to get rid of the battery.”
The McLaren driver described the changes introduced before the Miami Grand Prix as only “a small step in the right direction,” adding that they still fall short of what the series should allow. “If you go flat out everywhere and you try pushing like you were in previous years, you still just get penalised for it,” Norris said. “You still can’t be flat-out everywhere. It’s not about being as early on throttle everywhere. You should never get penalised for that kind of thing and you still do.”
What made the verdict more striking was that it came after McLaren’s strongest weekend of the season. Norris took Sprint pole, won the Sprint, then qualified fourth for the Grand Prix and finished second on Sunday behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Even with that return to competitiveness, he did not soften his criticism of the current package.
Norris said he does not see a genuine fix within the present concept. “So honestly, I don’t really think you can fix that,” he said. “You just have to get rid of the battery. So hopefully in a few years, that’s the case.”
His view was not an isolated one. Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, speaking after finishing fifth in the grand prix, said the rule changes had not altered his underlying concerns. “It’s still punishing you,” Verstappen said. “The faster you go through corners, the slower you go on the next straight. So, that’s not what it should be about.”
McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri also said the race behavior had barely changed. “The races are basically exactly the same,” Piastri said after describing Miami as his first proper experience this season of overtaking a car and then immediately having to defend. He said the closing speeds remained so large that “it’s just a bit random,” recalling one moment when George Russell was one second behind him and still managed to pass before the end of the straight.
Taken together, the complaints point to the same underlying issue in the 2026 power-unit concept: the cars still reward energy management more than pure attack. Miami’s refinements eased some of the worst effects, particularly in qualifying, but drivers are still having to give away corner speed or throttle commitment to protect straight-line energy. For Norris, that means the central flaw remains untouched, even on a weekend when McLaren had the pace to fight at the front.