Norris on new regulations: "As exciting as it is now, it won't be for a while then"
F1 News
Last week, the new regulations for 2026 were announced. This new set of rules caused quite a stir in the Formula 1 paddock. Lando Norris expressed his concerns and doubts about the new rules after qualifying in Canada. He does not think it will make things more exciting.
Saturday in Canada was one of the most exciting in a long time. Pole sitter Russell and number two Max Verstappen had exactly the same time, with number three Norris just 21 thousandths behind them. But the latter believes it will be some time after the introduction of the new regulations before we are presented with such exciting sessions.
Norris doubts
"I think you're not going to have days like today again. You're not going to have days like the last few weeks probably until ‘26, ‘27, ‘28, pretty much like ‘28, ‘29. So it's how it's always been. Every time there's a regulation change, there's big gaps. And even at the end of the last era, so 2020 or ‘21, things were getting closer again. You still had Red Bull against Mercedes, and everyone was getting closer. And then everything spread out again. Red Bull had their time, and now it seems like we've been able to catch up. So just as we're getting there, and I think probably looking ahead to next year already, next year should be an exciting year for everyone, just from first to last. I think it's going to be exciting. But then that's all going to go in ‘26," he said.
Norris acknowledges that the new regulations raise a number of complex issues. Whether it will have a positive impact on the sport in the long run, he dares not say for now. "There might be some benefits in the race for those regulations. There might be some things that are worse. The type of racing you're going to get is probably quite different. So it's complicated. It's not a simple answer. I don't know the answer at the same time. I don't think anyone knows exactly how it's going to pan out."