F1 champion Lando Norris predicts 'chaos' in 2026 races after rules change

Lando Norris

Lando Norris predicts F1 'chaos' in 2026 races after rules change

Good news everyone!

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Friday 6 February 2026 08:59

Reigning F1 champion Lando Norris has claimed the 2026 rule change could mean 'chaos'.

The 2026 season will see brand new regulations sweep the sport encompassing, not just the power unit and chassis, but also the very way F1 goes racing.

From the Barcelona shakedown alone there are already whispers of more lifting and coasting, alongside energy management of the battery due to the increased electrical power.

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The 2026 cars will also abandon DRS and instead have an overtake mode, where a burst of extra available energy can be deployed to assist with overtaking.

A boost mode will also be introduced, which gives the driver energy deployment from the energy recovery system that can be used to attack or defend at the push of a button.

Norris believes racing in 2026 will be 'chaotic'

Other features include 'active aerodynamics', where both the front and rear wing flaps can be adjusted between 'straight mode' and 'corner mode'.

Speaking to the BBC ahead of the 2026 season, reigning champion Norris revealed his expectations during races, and said: "You're going to see more chaos in races where a driver has to be a little bit more on top of all of these different situations that can happen.

"And that will happen through the whole year, I would say. There's more emphasis on drivers' ability to control all of these things."

"You'll be able to force people more in different positions and create racing potentially in better ways than you have been able to in the past. And that's probably a better thing, a good thing."

When does the 2026 F1 season start?

The 2026 F1 season gets underway on Friday, March 6, at the Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix.

FP1 will mark the first session of the season at 12:30pm local time (1:30am GMT), while qualifying will get underway on Saturday, March 7 at 4pm local time (5am GMT). Lights out for the first grand prix of the year is at 3pm local time (4am GMT).

Before the F1 season kicks off two three-day tests will take place in Bahrain. The first of which will occur from Wednesday, February 11 until Friday, February 13. The second of the Bahrain tests takes place Wednesday, February 18 until Friday, February 20.

F1 McLaren Lando Norris 2026 regulations