Lando Norris on fixing Formula 1: "Just get rid of the battery"

Lando Norris has offered a measured but pointed verdict on Formula 1's energy deployment tweaks introduced at the Miami Grand Prix, calling them a "small step in the right direction" while making clear his belief that the underlying problem cannot be fully resolved without a more fundamental overhaul.

A Welcome Change, But Not Enough

"It's a small step in the right direction, but it's not to the level that Formula 1 should still be at yet," Norris said. "If you go flat out everywhere and you try pushing like you were in previous years, you still just get penalised for it. You still can't be flat out everywhere. It's not about being as early on throttle everywhere. You should never get penalised for that kind of thing, and you still do. So honestly, I don't really think you can fix that. You just have to get rid of the battery. So hopefully in a few years, that's the case."

It's a striking assessment from the reigning champion — not just critical of where things stand, but essentially sceptical that the current regulatory architecture can ever deliver the kind of racing experience drivers and fans want.

The 2027 Hardware Fix Already Agreed

Norris's comments come as F1 stakeholders have already agreed in principle to go further for 2027. The plan involves increasing power output from the combustion engine by 50kW — achieved through higher fuel flow — alongside an equal reduction in electrical energy deployment. The result would shift the power split between the internal combustion engine and the electrical system from the original 50-50 target closer to 60-40 in favour of the ICE.

That agreement represents an acknowledgment at the highest levels of the sport that the current balance is creating problems on track. You can read more about the details of those planned changes in our breakdown of how F1 teams and bosses agreed to ditch the '50/50' engine power split for 2027.

Piastri: Closing Speeds Are "Pretty Crazy"

Team-mate Oscar Piastri added further colour to the debate, noting that Miami was his first real experience of the wild closing speed differentials that have defined 2026 racing — the same phenomenon that contributed to a serious crash for Haas driver Oliver Bearman in Japan.

"The races are basically exactly the same, and I think today was my first proper experience of overtaking people and then having to defend and stuff like that. It's pretty crazy, to be honest," Piastri said.

The Australian described a specific moment involving Mercedes' George Russell that illustrated the scale of the challenge: "At one point George was one second behind me and managed to overtake me by the end of that straight. And it's just a bit random. The closing speeds are huge, and trying to anticipate that as the defending driver is incredibly tough to do."

Piastri acknowledged an element of irony in his own race, admitting that while he was unhappy with one of Russell's moves, he found himself executing a near-identical overtake just laps later — a consequence, he conceded, of the enormous speed differentials at play.

"I wasn't that pleased with one of the moves that George did, but I kind of found myself almost doing the same move about five laps later, just because the closing speed is enormous," he said. "So, from that side of things, not much has really changed."

Like Norris, Piastri was measured in his praise for the collaborative work between the FIA, F1, and the drivers, but equally clear that more is needed. "I think the collaboration again from the FIA and F1 has been good, but there's only so many things you can change with the hardware we have. So, some changes in the future are still needed for sure. How quickly we can do it is the big question."

Antonelli: Trust Is Key When Battling in Straight Mode

Race winner and championship leader Kimi Antonelli offered a different angle on the same problem, highlighting the trust required between drivers when the active aerodynamics flatten out in straight-line mode. With reduced front and rear wing angles, the cars become significantly harder to manoeuvre, demanding that drivers anticipate rather than react.

"The closing speeds are massive, and you also need to trust the guy who is defending because also with this active aero, the car is pretty lazy when you want to change direction, so you need to think in advance," Antonelli said. "As I said, you need to trust the driver who is defending. But it was a small step in the right direction, and let's see what's going to happen next."

The consensus across the paddock is broadly the same: Miami offered a glimpse of improvement, but the 2026 regulations remain fundamentally constrained by battery management. The longer-term fix — a more combustion-heavy power split — has been agreed in principle, but for now, drivers are managing within the limits of a system that, by their own admission, still punishes those who push hardest.