© Jerome Miron/Imagn
The 2026 Formula 1 season is set to start in March and features an entirely new set of regulations that four-time champion Max Verstappen is not overly fond of. Reigning champion Lando Norris, however, doesn’t particularly care what Verstappen thinks about the new rules.
Once friends who have since turned heated rivals, Verstappen and Norris fought to the final race for the 2026 drivers’ championship, with Norris coming out just two points ahead when it was all said and done.
New rules regarding engine and car construction could shake things up significantly in 2026. But while Verstappen and his Red Bull team looked good in testing in Bahrain this week, the Dutch superstar isn’t overly happy with the state of things in F1.
“Not a lot of fun, to be honest,” he said of the new cars. “I would say the right word is management.
“As a driver, the feeling is not very Formula 1-like. It feels a bit more like Formula E on steroids.
“But the rules are the same for everyone, so you have to deal with that. And that’s also not my problem, because I’m all for that. Equal chances, I don’t mind that.
“But as a pure driver, I enjoy driving flat out. And at the moment, you cannot drive like that. There’s a lot going on. A lot of what you do as a driver, in terms of inputs, has a massive effect on the energy side of things. For me, that’s just not Formula 1. Maybe it’s better to drive Formula E, right? Because that’s all about energy efficiency and management. That’s what they stand for.
Norris, however, felt that Verstappen was just complaining and urged him to look elsewhere if he’s unhappy.
Lando Norris Says That Max Verstappen Should Just Retire From Formula 1
When asked for his own thoughts on the car, as well as Verstappen’s labeling of it as “anti-racing,” Norris had a harsh response.
“I had a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it,” he said. “So yeah, if he wants to retire, he can retire.
“Formula 1 changes all the time, sometimes it’s a bit better to drive, sometimes not as good to drive. But yeah, we get paid a stupid amount of money to drive so you can’t really complain at the end of the day.
“Any driver can go and find something else to do, you know? It’s not like he has to be here or any driver has to be here.
“It’s a challenge but it’s a good fun challenge for the engineers, for the drivers. It’s different; you have to drive it in a different way and understand things differently and manage things differently. But you still get to drive cars and travel the world and have a lot of fun. So, no nothing to complain about.”
While some felt Norris was being lighthearted, it certainly doesn’t read that way. And if we get another tight championship battle between the two, it’s hard to imagine things will become any more friendly between moving forward.