Lando Norris dived into the feeling behind the wheel of his McLaren MCL40, claiming that driving with the 2026 Formula 1 regulations feels counter-intuitive and isn't as exciting as previous years.

Unfortunately for Norris, his chances of retaining the top spot this season appear slim. A complete overhaul in the technical regulations was introduced for 2026, chief of which included a greater reliance on electrical power compared to the internal combustion engine.

Rivals Mercedes have aced the new ruleset better than anyone else, with their drivers George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli winning every race this year so far.

On the other hand, McLaren have lagged behind and currently look like the third-fastest team on pace, behind Mercedes and Ferrari. To add insult to injury, Piastri crashed out on his reconnaissance lap before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, while both McLaren drivers failed to start the Chinese Grand Prix with separate mechanical ailments.

Slower is faster?

Due to the battery capacity-limited nature of the latest technical regulations, it has been found that recharging the battery at the end of long straights by lifting off the throttle earlier than previous years results in a faster overall lap time.

While most drivers have adapted easily to this change, many have complained that it goes against the inherent nature of racing to push to the absolute limit at all times, especially during qualifying.

Norris explained his view during a media event at the McLaren Technology Centre, where GrandPrix247 were in attendance.

He said: "It's just that two percent more in qualifying, where you can be surprised to see someone on pole because he's taken those couple little risks, that element has kind of been taken away.

"Those places where you're trying to push the high speed a little bit, and you're really trying to fight the car. That kind of thing has been eliminated," stated the defending Champion.

Gain time here, lose time there

Norris provided insight into the counter-intuitive driving style of the 2026 cars, going as far as to say that making a mistake earlier in a lap can actually improve your lap time.

He continued: "The problem is sometimes, like we had in China and a couple other places, sometimes when you make a mistake, sometimes it benefits you, because the battery gets saved in some ways, and then redeploys in a different place, and you actually gain time. You know, in an ideal world, we just wouldn't have any of that.

"We still have to drive as quickly as we can. But within certain aspects, don't go on throttle here, and don't go on throttle here, which is just not what you've ever done in single seaters or anything, really."

The Briton provided an example: "I had it in Shanghai, where the car gripped up a little bit more and I cracked open the throttle 5 to 10 meters earlier, and it feels good as you see the Delta coming down. But then you get to the straight, and you just go slow.

"That doesn't feel good inside the car. You know, you're like, I did a better job here. I took that risk. I balanced the car. I felt like I was trying to find perfection, and then you just get paid with a silly penalty of going 10kph slower in the straight and and you lose more than you ever gain.

"So that's just the kind of thing that you have to kind of battle your inner qualifying fight for and learn about," concluded Norris.

With the latest rule change tweaks introduced in the past week, will the drivers find less reason to complain about their cars, or will the fundamental battery-related issues remain?