Norris backtracks: “I enjoyed seeing the reactions to my words, but I agree with Max’s observations”
The 2025 world champion has retracted his statements from the first week of Bahrain testing.
A sensational back-and-forth
During the first week of Bahrain testing, Max Verstappen made it clear that he was not a fan of the new generation of 2026 regulation cars. The Dutch champion compared the machines to “Formula E on steroids,” noting that he found them “not exactly fun” and more about management than driving.
Lando Norris fired back at the rival, suggesting he should stop complaining and reminding him that the hefty salaries drivers receive from their teams should prevent such gripes.
But Norris backtracks
On Thursday of the second week of Bahrain testing, Lando Norris explained that his initial comments were meant to provoke discussion: “I didn’t want to speak to the journalists and complain. I just wanted to see everyone’s reactions. It was a fun week because what I said definitely got a lot of people talking and saying plenty of things.”
After all, Lando Norris agrees with most of Max Verstappen’s criticisms: “These cars certainly don’t represent the purest form of racing. I agree with Max on many of his points, on most of them, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy driving. Much of the driving is simply focused on trying to manage the batteries correctly and figuring out how to get the most out of the car,” concluded the 2025 world champion.
These comments from the reigning champion suggest a growing consensus among the grid’s elite. While the competitive fire remains, the shift toward heavy energy management and hybrid complexity is clearly a point of contention for those who prefer the raw, mechanical purity of previous Formula 1 eras. Whether this sentiment remains as the 2026 season officially kicks off in Melbourne is yet to be seen.
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