Lando Norris says 2026 F1 cars ‘feel like F2 in some ways’

Reigning Formula 1 world champion Lando Norris admits the 2026 machines “feel like an F2 car in some ways”, which “I don’t know if I like that or not”.

The 2026 F1 season marks the first of its radical new car regulations, with the ground effect machinery replaced by smaller and lighter ones.

The new cars also feature active aero and a greater emphasis on battery power, with the split now 50/50 between electrical and combustion in the new engines.

All but Williams have put their 2026 cars on track at the recent Barcelona shakedown, which offered the first real-world trial of the new regulations.

So far, the response has been mixed, with Lando Norris noting in a recent McLaren press conference that, in some aspects, they feel like Formula 2 cars.

“It certainly feels like an F2 car in some ways with how you have to drive it,” he said, talking about the challenges facing the teams and drivers coming into 2026.

“I don’t know if I like that or not for the time being.

“But I think we understood quite a few things already from Barcelona on how you had to drive the car, but Barcelona, you’re talking about fourth-gear corners, third-gear corners, quite open, quite wide.

“And when you get to a street track or bumpier tracks, slower tracks, that’s a question we’re yet to answer.

“And Bahrain will answer some of those questions. It will be a learning curve.

“But I have strong confidence in myself and strong confidence in my team. But it will be a learning curve for both of us as it will for everyone on the grid.”

Identity crisis fears not founded, claims Oscar Piastri

As more information has emerged from drivers about how the new cars behave, there have been some fears that F1 may be losing its identity with this radical regulation set.

One area in particular that has caused concern is talk of drivers needing to lift and coast during qualifying to manage the engine’s electrical power better.

However, Norris’ McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri believes a lot of fears drivers had have been quashed following the first test and doesn’t think F1 has lost its identity.

“I don’t think it’s lost its identity at all,” he said.

“I think there’s going to be some things to get used to.

“But, I think in terms of some of the fears that maybe we had before we got on track, I think a significant majority of those have been alleviated now.

“That’s not to say that there aren’t things that could be improved still. But, in terms of lift and coast, and stuff like that, we were all doing it before anyway, just for different reasons most likely.

“Maybe not necessarily in qualifying. That’s maybe going to look the most different, if I was to guess right now.

“I don’t know exactly what that’s going to look like, and it’s probably going to change from circuit to circuit as we get used to how these engines work.

“But they’re still going to be incredibly quick machines.

“Sitting in the grandstands, watching live at the track, they’re going to be just as impressive. There will be some differences, but I think fundamentally, they are still the fastest cars in the world.”