Reigning champion Lando Norris has countered Max Verstappen‘s criticism of Formula 1’s new regulations, saying there is “nothing to complain about” from a driver’s perspective and his 2025 title rival can quit the sport if he does not like the new cars.
Verstappen labelled the new regulations “anti-racing” after the second day of testing in Bahrain, saying the new cars are not as fun to drive as the previous generation.
The crux of Verstappen’s argument is that the emphasis on energy management under the new regulations means drivers can no longer drive “flat-out” without draining the power unit’s battery and having a negative impact on overall lap time.
Last year, the four-time world champion said he would consider quitting F1 if he does not find the new cars fun to drive, although when the same question was put to him on Thursday he said “let’s see”.
But Norris thinks the new cars are still fun to drive, saying the rest of the grid, including Verstappen, are free to leave the sport if they do not enjoy it.
“I had a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it,” he said. “So yeah, if he wants to retire he can retire.
“Formula 1 changes all the time, sometimes it’s a bit better to drive, sometimes not as good to drive. But yeah, we get paid a stupid amount of money to drive so you can’t really complain at the end of the day.
“Any driver can go and find something else to do, you know? It’s not like he has to be here or any driver has to be here.
“It’s a challenge but it’s a good fun challenge for the engineers, for the drivers. It’s different, you have to drive it in a different way and understand things differently and manage things differently. But you still get to drive cars and travel the world and have a lot of fun. So, no nothing to complain about.”
Norris added that Verstappen will always be a fierce competitor in F1, regardless of the regulations.
“I don’t expect Max is going to go out and not give a s–, you know?” he said.
– F1 testing: Charles Leclerc sets the pace on day 2 in Bahrain
– Mercedes, Red Bull hit snags while Ferrari go fastest — Day 2 as it happened
“He’s going to try and win and Max is never going to not try, he’s just not going to smile as much maybe — I guess that might be the case.
“It certainly doesn’t feel as quick as the past few years and it certainly doesn’t handle as perfectly, but I’m sure if he came into this and this was the F1 car he started driving then he probably would say it’s amazing.
“Comparing to the older cars, it doesn’t feel as pretty and beautiful to drive, but it’s still pretty good. And it’s all early days, it’s early days of a regulation that’s meant to be a good amount slower.
“But if you fast forward to the end of this year and look ahead to next year already, we’re going to be going a lot quicker by then. Anyone and everyone can make their own opinions and have their own opinions, and say and decide what they want to do.
“No one should complain about that or be upset about it. Every driver has their own opinions and he didn’t like it and I like it.”
