Lando Norris stated that the 2026 Formula 1 season has brought a new challenge for drivers, especially when there is a loss of time in free practice. The Briton highlighted that the new cars have made every minute on track more important, increasing the impact of any problem throughout the weekend.
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The start of the season has been marked by significant technical changes, with new regulations that altered aerodynamics and power units. In this scenario, drivers are still in the process of adapting, even after three GPs held, which makes track time even more important to understand the behavior of the cars.
Norris has faced difficulties at the start of this championship, including problems in free practice during the weekend in Japan, when his track activity was limited. Asked if the lack of laps has a greater impact this year, the driver was direct in his response: “Yes, 100%, much more. Obviously it’s still a new car, and it’s a new track where the asphalt has much more grip and is new too. It’s a much faster track, so you need to drive the car very differently from how we did in recent years,” he said.
The challenges were evident in Suzuka, where several errors were observed as drivers tried to adapt to the behavior of the new cars. Similar situations also occurred in the Australian and Chinese rounds, reinforcing the initial difficulty with the new regulations.
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Norris also highlighted that the increase in battery power has directly influenced how teams adjust the cars. According to him, this change adds new variables that need to be understood throughout practice.
“You saw how many mistakes people made, at Spoon curve and in other parts with the rear, it’s simply not easy. So certainly now it costs more than before (lack of track time), not only as a driver, but also to understand how the power unit works, to adjust the battery in the correct way,” he added.
The Briton added that the need to lift off the throttle in certain sections also alters the car setup: “Then you have to lift more in some spots, which you need to adjust in the setup, because you need to lift more. There are many small things,” concluded the McLaren driver and current champion of the category.
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