Lando Norris fears a ‘big accident’ under the new regulations introduced for yesterday’s Australian Grand Prix – while Max Verstappen hinted that he might walk away from the sport over what he called ‘chaos’.
After the season-opening race won by George Russell for a dominant Mercedes team, the reigning and former world champions decried the rules.
New half-electric, half-internal combustion engines have been introduced for 2026, with a boost button that deploys a sudden burst of pace while cars they are competing against are low on power.
This disparity is possible because drivers also have to manage the battery power each lap by lifting and coasting rather than racing foot to the floor.
Norris, who finished fifth, said: ‘Depending on what drivers do, you can have 30, 40, 50kph closing speeds and when someone hits another driver at that rate you are going to fly, and go over the fence and do a lot of damage to yourself and maybe to others. It is pretty horrible to think about.
‘It is way too much. It is chaos, and we are going to have a big accident. We are the ones driving, just waiting for something to happen and to go quite horribly wrong and that is not a nice position to be in.
Lando Norris (pictured) has expressed fears that a ‘big accident’ could happen in Formula One due to the new engine rules in place this season
New half-electric, half-internal combustion engines have been introduced for 2026, with a boost button that deploys a sudden burst of pace while cars they are competing against are low on power
Four-time world champion Verstappen, who finished sixth in Melbourne, has previously called the overhaul ‘Formula E on steroids’ – a disparaging reference to the all-electric series
‘The new regulations are very artificial because it is dependent on what the power units decide to do randomly.’
Four-time world champion Verstappen, who finished sixth in Melbourne, has previously called the overhaul ‘Formula E on steroids’ – a disparaging reference to the all-electric series.
After a difficult weekend, which saw him crash out of qualifying, the Dutchman added: ‘I love racing but you can only take so much, right? I think F1 and the FIA are willing to listen, and I hope there is some action.
‘I am not the only one saying it. It is other drivers and fans. We are not critical just to be critical. We are critical for a reason. We want it to be Formula One, proper Formula One on steroids, but today that wasn’t the case.
‘They should worry about the rules. Focus on that. They ask questions and I give my opinion on what I would like to see. What I suggest is better for the sport because I do care about it. I love racing, and I want it to be improved.
Verstappen, 28, is on a £60million-a-year deal with Red Bull that runs until 2028, but has toyed with the notion of leaving Formula One to take up opportunities in other series for fun, saying he would no longer compete in the top echelon if he no longer enjoyed it.
Russell, who led home a Mercedes one-two with Kimi Antonelli ahead of the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, disagrees with Norris, accusing him of hypocrisy.
‘If he was winning, I don’t think he’d be saying the same,’ Russell said.
Norris (pictured), who finished fifth in Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix, stated that it was ‘chaos’ adding drivers were ‘waiting for something to go horribly wrong’
Verstappen, 28, is on a £60million-a-year deal with Red Bull that runs until 2028, but has toyed with the notion of leaving Formula One to take up opportunities in other series for fun, saying he would no longer compete in the top echelon if he no longer enjoyed it
‘You know, we weren’t happy with how stiff the cars were last year and the porpoising (a violent bouncing motion).
‘Everyone had a bad back and drivers were complaining about that. But the McLaren drivers said there was no porpoising even though we watched their car and they were porpoising.’
‘So, you know, everyone’s always looking out for themselves and we’re all selfish in this regard.
‘The truth is last year we had the same engine as them and McLaren did a better job than us and beat us.
‘Now McLaren have got the same engine as us, the same as Williams and the same as Alpine, and so far we’ve done a better job than them. So that’s just how the game goes.’
