Lando Norris unleashes F1 2026 criticism after Nurburgring test

Lando Norris

Lando Norris unleashes F1 2026 criticism after Nurburgring test

The new regulations are causing quite a stir in F1

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 17 April 2026 13:54

Reigning F1 world champion Lando Norris has described the new 2026 regulations as 'frustrating' after an outing at the Nurburgring this week.

Norris has been largely onside so far with the wholesale regulation changes in F1, while some of his rivals have been less than complimentary in the early stages of the 2026 season.

Max Verstappen is understood to be 'seriously considering' quitting the sport partly because of the new rules, which he has constantly berated and suggested that the new cars are 'not fun' to drive.

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Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, has described the new cars as the 'best racing' that he has experienced in his long, illustrious F1 career.

Norris has been driving his 2026 MCL40 this week despite the fact that we are currently amidst a five-week break from the sport due to the cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix.

He has been taking his 2026 car around the Nurburgring Grand Prix circuit as part of a Pirelli dry-tyre test, with both Mercedes and McLaren present at the former home of the European, German and Eifel Grands Prix.

And following that event, Norris revealed his thoughts on the new 2026 regulations after two months of F1 action in the new cars.

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Norris at odds over F1 2026 cars

"These cars are certainly very different to the cars from last year, and the differences are quite complex," Norris told McLaren's official website. "Some of which I enjoy, some of which I’ve found a bit more difficult so far.

"Last year we had loads of downforce, cars that really felt like they were on rails when we got them dialled in and what felt like never-ending speed, however when you lost grip, that was it, you were just losing time at best or heading for the gravel. That could be quite frustrating as it didn’t feel like you could make as much of a difference yourself as a driver, you needed the car underneath you and needed to ensure you stayed within the limits of the car.

"This year the cars are much much lower downforce and much more on the limit. You can catch slides more easily, and the slightly lower grip makes for a very exciting car to drive. As a car, I’m enjoying driving them, they remind me of some of the cars I drove coming up through the junior series, and I say that as a big compliment, you really feel like you can make a difference.

"I’ve said before that it’s not the car I’m struggling with, it’s the bit behind us that I’m not enjoying as much - the power unit regulations. I had a scenario in Japan where the battery deployment triggered, even though I didn’t really want it to, and I had to overtake Lewis as a result.

"That meant I was then a sitting duck on the next straight, where I had actually wanted to use the battery. For me, that’s taking too much control away from the driver, but I know that the FIA and all the stakeholders of the sport are looking into it: there has been good dialogue with the FIA on this topic, so I am confident that something will be done for when we go racing in Miami again."

Will changes be made to the FIA regulations before the Miami GP?

It's likely that we will see some changes to regulations ahead of the next race on the calendar, the Miami Grand Prix at the start of May.

The FIA met earlier this month to discuss if any changes needed to be made to the sporting regulations, and they confirmed that it would be one of three meetings to take place ahead of the Miami Grand Prix in May.

F1's governing body revealed in a statement that it was 'generally agreed' that 'tweaks' should be made to the new regulations, and they also revealed a deadline for when a decision will be made, April 20.

They've suggested that the April 20 meeting will be to go through the proposed options for energy management rule tweaks, agreeing on a consensus for the way in which the season will proceed.

Written by

Sam Cook - Digital Journalist

Sam Cook is a talented young sports journalist and social media professional who now specialises in Formula 1, having previously worked as a football journalist and a local news reporter for a variety of different brands.

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F1 McLaren Lando Norris 2026 regulations