LANDO NORRIS FUELS F1 FEARS OVER RULE CHANGES AFTER UNPRECEDENTED CANADIAN GP DRAMA

McLaren driver Lando Norris has called out F1 bosses over proposed changes for the 2026 season. The innovations will involve adjustable front and rear wing mirrors, as well as corner speeds, lower drag, and increased straight-line speed.

And Norris feels the regulations contradict the new era that was brought in for the 2022 campaign, when fresh rules were designed to make the gird more competitive.

He hit out following a thrilling qualifying session for the Canadian Grand Prix on Saturday, where George Russell took pole from Max Verstappen on a dramatic afternoon in Montreal (get in unprecedented reference how Russell took pole after dead heat).

"I think you're not going to have days like today again," Norris told reporters. "You're not going to have days like the last few weeks probably in '26, '27, '28, or pretty much like '28, '29. So, it's how it's always been.

"Every time there's a regulation change, there's big gaps. And even at the end of the last era, '21, things were getting closer again. You had still Red Bull against Mercedes, and everyone was getting closer. And then everything spread out again.

"Red Bull had their time, and now it seems like we've been able to catch up. So just as we're getting there, and I think probably looking ahead to next year already, next year should be an exciting year for everyone, just from first to last. I think it's going to be exciting. But then that's all going to go in '26."

The sport has been cited as predictable in recent times, with Verstappen currently on track for a fourth straight F1 crown. Norris himself finally registered a Grand Prix win last month in Miami, but predicted that excitement for fans would die down in two years time.

"Definitely you're not going to have that in 2026," he added. "So, it depends if you want to kind of keep this excitement and keep this challenge that we have now, or if you want to change everything again and have another few years where it's far apart."

Norris went on to finish second in a rain affected race in Canada. It was Red Bull man Verstappen who again prevailed, ahead of the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.

And afterwards, Norris lauded the drama that took place. "It was chaos. It was eventful. I felt like I drove a good race from start to finish. Then the safety car did me over. It helped me in Miami and now it's had me back over."

Asked if he felt he should have registered a second Grand Prix win, he answered: "I thought it was a pretty perfect race from my side, just a bit unlucky but it is what it is."

2024-06-10T05:52:54Z dg43tfdfdgfd