Max Verstappen believes that the new rules limit the ability of drivers to make a difference. Lando Norris disagrees and assures that the best can still stand out.
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The new Formula 1 cars have profoundly changed the way drivers must approach a lap since the start of the 2026 season.
With a much larger share of electric energy in the new power units, battery management has become a central element of driving. Algorithms notably determine how energy should be deployed around a circuit depending on the driver’s behavior.
A system that Max Verstappen is not very fond of. The Red Bull driver recently lamented that drivers can no longer make as much of a difference through their driving, since a more aggressive attack in a corner can be penalized by less favorable electric deployment on the following straight.
An analysis that Lando Norris does not fully share.
Norris: “If you are a better driver, there are still places to make a difference”
Asked about Verstappen’s statements, Norris acknowledges that some characteristics of the new cars have indeed reduced gaps in some corners.
He notably takes the example of Pouhon at Spa-Francorchamps, where the difference between two drivers could previously be measured by their ability to carry more speed.
“There are obviously some corners where the differences have been a bit reduced, like Pouhon. Last year, you could maybe almost take it flat out while someone else couldn’t, and thus gain half a tenth.”
But for the reigning world champion, that does not mean that individual talent has lost its importance.
“In some corners, yes, the gaps might be closing. But if you are a better driver, there are always corners where you can try to gain an advantage over others. So I wouldn’t say I fully agree.”
Fast circuits offer fewer opportunities
Norris however adds an important nuance. On circuits with relatively few corners, the opportunities to create a gap are naturally fewer.
This is notably the case for fast tracks like Silverstone or Spa-Francorchamps.
“If you drive better, you will still be ahead on very fast circuits like Silverstone and Spa. There are simply fewer corners where you can gain time.”
The situation is very different on a more twisty circuit like the Hungaroring.
“On a circuit like the Hungaroring, I don’t think that’s true at all”, Norris states regarding the idea that drivers can no longer make enough of a difference.
For the Brit, the problem therefore does not necessarily come from a decrease in the driver’s influence, but rather from the sometimes unpredictable way the new electric systems react.
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Sometimes unpredictable algorithms
Drivers must now adapt their driving not only to their car and tires but also to the battery’s needs.
However, according to Norris, the system’s behavior is not always perfectly predictable.
“It’s not even necessarily because you disrupt the algorithms. Sometimes, the system just does random things.”
This new dimension forces drivers to modify certain automatisms.
“There are certain things you have to try to do at certain times to help the battery. Some styles might work a bit better than in previous years, or you have to do more things than before.”
The McLaren driver thus acknowledges that energy management now directly influences the way certain parts of a circuit are approached.
Tires also impose a new driving style
The battery is however not the only element to which drivers have had to adapt this season.
Norris also highlights the evolution of the tires and their influence on the behavior of the new cars.
“Even the tires have slightly changed and their characteristics mean there are certain situations where we can’t attack as much as in previous years.”
He nevertheless specifies that he is mainly talking about the behavior of his McLaren, as characteristics can vary greatly from one car to another.
“Every car is very different, so I can’t speak on behalf of all the others.”
“It’s our job”
Norris therefore does not deny the additional constraints introduced by the 2026 regulations. However, he considers that the ability to adapt to them is precisely part of the qualities expected of a Formula 1 driver.
“There are many situations where we have to drive this car very differently from last season, but it’s our job.”
A philosophy that contrasts with the criticisms made by Verstappen.
For Norris, the new systems may have changed the places and ways a driver can create an advantage, but they have not removed this possibility. Over a full lap, precision, consistency, and especially adaptability continue, in his view, to allow the best drivers to make a difference.
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