Lando Norris skeptical of mid-season rule changes: “In the race, nothing changes”. Lando Norris comments on recent F1 regulation changes.

Norris on regulations: “In races it changes little. Teams and bosses must also be satisfied, not just us”

Lando Norris commented on the regulatory changes approved a few days ago and on the developments brought by McLaren to Miami.

Norris heading into Miami

The Miami Grand Prix brings back fond memories for Lando Norris, who claimed his first Formula 1 victory here in 2024, helped by a bit of good fortune, and returned to the podium last year while driving a dominant McLaren.

This season, however, both the British driver and the papaya team have very different expectations. The MCL40 is clearly a step behind Mercedes, and while the upgrades brought to Florida do generate optimism, it is mainly focused on the fight to be the second-best team on the grid.

Norris remains hopeful for the weekend but urges caution, stating that the updates are a step forward but are unlikely to immediately close the gap to Mercedes, echoing what Oscar Piastri said the day before.

The words of Norris

“I hope Miami is another race where we can take a step forward, like in 2024. Back then we were much further behind and moving in the right direction. I think now we are quite a long way behind, but we haven’t taken the wrong philosophy with the car: we are simply behind in development,” he said in Florida.

“We don’t know how much the upgrades will help us. At Suzuka we were about one second per lap behind Mercedes, so we can only take a step forward. You also have to consider that the others will probably bring upgrades as well, so we need to understand how much ground we have actually recovered compared to them.”

Looking at other drivers, including Max Verstappen, Norris also believes that the regulatory changes approved a few days ago are only a small fix that does not address the core issue. Especially since solving that core problem would require a complete rethink of the power units.

“It’s difficult to go further, there’s nothing we can really change. There are also many things we simply have to get used to. Qualifying should definitely be a bit better, but in the race it doesn’t change anything. We are moving in the right direction and I hope there are more steps forward, but it’s not just about what we drivers want. Teams and bosses also need to be satisfied. I think everyone agrees that there are many things we would like for the future, but we don’t know if it will happen in one, two, or three years.”