Norris critical again of F1 new era after Melbourne race: ‘It’s chaos’

The dust had barely settled after a frantic season opening Australian Grand Prix when Lando Norris delivered another blistering verdict on Formula 1’s new era.

Fifth place in Melbourne might have delivered solid points for the McLaren driver, but it did little to soften his stance on the sport’s sweeping 2026 regulations. If anything, the chaotic race at Albert Park only reinforced his fears.

And Norris didn’t hold back.

‘Way too much chaos’

The race unfolded exactly as many drivers had predicted during pre-season testing: frenetic proceedings filled with constant overtakes, fluctuating energy deployment, and drivers repeatedly swapping positions as battery strategies came into play.

While entertaining for the fans, the spectacle crossed into something more troubling as far as Norris was concerned.

“Way too much. It's chaos, you're going to have a big accident, which is a shame,” he said. “You're driving and we're the ones just waiting for something to happen and something to go quite horribly wrong.”

The 2026 rules represent one of the most dramatic overhauls in recent F1 history. Alongside new chassis designs, the revised power units place far greater emphasis on electrical energy, meaning battery management now plays a decisive role throughout a race.

In Melbourne, that translated into unpredictable swings in performance as drivers harvested energy in some corners and unleashed it on straights – creating sudden speed differences that turned battles into high-speed chess matches.

For Norris, it felt less like racing and more like gambling.

“That's not a nice position to be in, but there's nothing we can really do about that now,” he said. “It's a shame, it's very artificial, depending on what the power unit decides to do and randomly does at times.”

“You just get overtaken by five cars or you can just do nothing about it sometimes.”

The Danger Behind the Drama

Before the season even began, Norris had warned that the new regulations could create unpredictable “yo-yo” racing as drivers constantly surged forward or dropped back depending on energy levels.

Albert Park delivered exactly that.

Cars repeatedly closed massive gaps in seconds when rivals were harvesting battery power, only to fall back again once the energy tables turned. For fans, the action was relentless.

For drivers, Norris insists, it can feel unnerving.

“There's nothing we can change about it, so there's no point in saying any more, but not for me,” he said.

His biggest concern lies in the speed differences the new systems can generate. With one car conserving energy and another deploying maximum power, closing speeds can spike dramatically – a situation Norris believes could eventually lead to serious consequences.

“Just depending on what people do, you can have 30, 40, 50 kph speeds,” he explained.

“When someone hits someone at that speed, you're going to fly and you're going to go over the fence and you're going to do a lot of damage to yourself and maybe to others.”

“That's a pretty horrible thing to think about.”

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Norris had already criticized the new generation of cars after qualifying, claiming the sport had moved from “the best cars ever” to potentially “the worst.” Sunday’s wild race did little to change his mind.

Instead, the reigning world champion’s blunt assessment echoed through the Albert Park garages: thrilling or not, the new Formula 1 might just be a little too chaotic for comfort.

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