Formula 1 pre-season testing: Lando Norris admits new 2026 cars ‘not the purest form of racing’

The McLaren driver also admitted that the cars were “certainly not the purest form of racing”, and that he shared Verstappen’s views in many ways.

“I agree with Max on a lot of the comments,” the McLaren driver said. “I probably agree with most of the comments, but it’s not that I don’t have fun out there. So there are two sides.

“I basically agree with all the other drivers, because I think all the other drivers have made their comments very clearly. I didn’t want to go out to the media and complain to everyone on the first weekend. I want to enjoy myself and just say what I feel.

“I had fun last week. I’m still having fun out there now. And I think we know as a championship with the FIA ​​and with Formula 1, that we’re trying to improve the car that we have now, because it’s certainly not the purest form of racing, and that’s what Formula 1 should be about.”

“A lot of driving is focused on just trying to get the battery to work properly, and less focused on how to get everything out of the car as a driver.”

Verstappen’s criticism has centered on the amount of power management required for new cars.

The combination of the power provided by the electric part of the motor being tripled, to about half the total output, and the batteries being about the same size, led drivers to perform tasks they described as unintuitive.

These strategies include not exiting the corner before the qualifying lap as quickly as possible, lifting and launching on the straights in the qualifying laps, and pulling back before the end of the qualifying lap, all strategies aimed at optimal energy use and the best overall lap time.

This has led to ongoing discussions behind the scenes about rule amendments before or after the start of the season, while the regulations governing engines are already complex as a result of the way engines operate.