'From The Best Car To The Worst'! Lando Norris Rues Impact Of New Regulations After Curtain-Riser

Last Updated:March 08, 2026, 15:34 IST

Norris lamented the seismic shift the sport has undergone with the massive changes in regulation, which has witnessed the engine power units switch to 50 percent battery.

Reigning F1 World Champion Lando Norris rued the massive shake-up the sport has experienced following the conclusion of the 2026 season-opening Australian Grand Prix, as the Brit finished fifth.

Mercedes’ George Russell clinched the crown in Melbourne, ahead of teammate Kimi Antonelli, while the Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton came in third and fourth respectively.

Norris, who held off a stiff challenge for the title last year from Max Verstappen, who came in sixth behind Norris on the opening race day of the season, voiced that his side have a lot of work to do in order to catch up.

“P5 is a good result, I think we maximised what we could achieve today," he said.

“The gap to the guys ahead is pretty big and we clearly have a lot of work to do, which we thought might be the case coming into this weekend."

“The fact that we could defend against Max and keep him behind, even though he had a lot more pace, was positive," he said.

“But we need to work hard to understand where we’re losing pace to the front runners, as well as understanding how we can approach the weekend better.

“I’ve got full confidence in my team to be able to do that, but it’s looking like it’s going to be a long, tough season."

Norris lamented the seismic shift the sport has undergone with the massive changes in regulation, which has witnessed the engine power units switch to 50 percent battery.

“We’ve come from the best cars ever made in Formula One, and the nicest to drive, to probably the worst. It sucks," Norris said.

“Everyone knows what the issues are. It’s just the fact the engine is a 50-50 split and it just doesn’t work."

McLaren chief Andrea Stella emphasised how important it was for Norris to finish the race and open his account especially after hometown hero Oscar Piastri crashed in the lead-up lap.

“It was very important to finish it with Lando, to gather as much data and learning as possible under these new regulations," Stella said.

“Lando did a great job to adapt to various scenarios… however we finished some distance behind the leaders so it is clear we have work to do," he added.

News sports formula-one 'From The Best Car To The Worst'! Lando Norris Rues Impact Of New Regulations After Curtain-Riser

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