Three world champions – Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris – have delivered a damning verdict on Formula One’s regulations overhaul after qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix. Norris, McLaren’s defending champion, was scathing of the changes, saying that driving the car “sucks” and they were probably the “worst” ever made, while Hamilton criticised the new engine and chassis rules as “completely against” F1’s principles.
Mercedes’s George Russell took pole position for the first race of the season with a dominant performance, more than eight-tenths of a second quicker than McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who qualified fifth. But with the new regulations requiring complex energy management across a lap, many drivers were dismissive.
Norris, who won his first title last season but could manage only sixth on the grid in Melbourne on Saturday, was among those who doubled down on complaints that have been circulating throughout the pre-season and have reached a head at Albert Park. “We’ve come from the best cars ever made in Formula One and the nicest to drive, to probably the worst. It sucks,” he said. “Everyone knows what the issues are. It’s just the fact it’s a 50-50 split [between power from the combustion engine and electrical energy].”
Hamilton, seven-times a world champion, echoed his criticism, noting that the complex requirements to recharge energy across a lap were distracting from drivers demonstrating their racing skill. “The power’s good when you’ve got it, it’s just it doesn’t last,” he said. “We start the lap, half throttle coming through the last corner, and a third, a quarter of a straight, and then you go to full throttle. It’s completely against what Formula One is about– flat-out, full attack – and you’re lifting and coasting and stuff.”
Verstappen spun into a barrier when the rear of his car locked up under braking into turn one in qualifying, locking the rear axle as part of the energy regeneration process to which drivers are having to adapt. The four-time world champion has been outspoken in his dislike of the new regulations, warning he would quit the sport if he ceases to enjoy it. “I’m definitely not having fun at all with these cars,” he said. “The formula is just not correct, and that is something that is a bit harder to change, but we need to. It’s going to be a long season, that’s all I’m telling you.”
