Lando Norris wants F1 to throw battery in the bin, 'full-throttle racing gets punished'

Lando Norris during F1 Testing in Bahrain — Photo: © IMAGO

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Lando Norris wants F1 to throw battery in the bin, 'full-throttle racing gets punished'

Norris wants F1 to ditch its battery

Matthew Hobkinson Lead Editor

F1 Editor & Journalist

Tuesday 5 May 2026 16:12

Lando Norris has called for Formula 1 to go further with regulation changes, claiming drivers are still being punished for trying to race flat out.

The 2026 F1 regulations have already caused major debate this season, with drivers repeatedly raising concerns over battery management, lift and coast, and the feeling that the cars are no longer allowing them to push naturally.

The FIA and F1 have made tweaks in response to those complaints, but Norris believes the changes still do not go far enough.

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Norris wants F1 battery gone

Norris welcomed the fact that changes have been made, but the McLaren star was clear that the sport remains some way short of where it should be.

"It's a small step in the right direction, but it's not to the level that Formula 1 should still be at yet," Norris said.

"I think we said yesterday still in qualifying, if you go flat out everywhere and you try pushing like you were in previous years, you still just get penalised for it.

"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."

The key frustration for Norris is that the quickest way to drive under the current rules is not always the most natural way to race.

Instead of simply attacking the lap, drivers have had to think carefully about energy deployment and where they can afford to use full throttle, something which has become one of the biggest talking points of the new regulation cycle.

F1 regulations still under pressure

Norris then went even further, suggesting the issue cannot truly be solved without a much bigger change to the power unit concept.

"So honestly, I don't really think you can fix that," he added. "You just have to get rid of the battery.

"So hopefully in a few years, that's the case."

That is unlikely to happen quickly, but Norris' comments add to the growing pressure on F1 to rethink how far it wants to push the current hybrid direction.

The sport has tried to balance closer racing, sustainability and manufacturer relevance, but drivers have repeatedly made it clear that they do not want those aims to come at the expense of the feeling behind the wheel.

F1 McLaren FIA Lando Norris