George Russell Responds to Lando Norris’ Criticism of F1 2026 Cars
George Russell has fired back at Lando Norris, suggesting the McLaren star wouldn’t be so vocal about the 2026 Formula 1 cars if he were still winning races.
Norris, the reigning World Champion, finished a distant P5 at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne and has since voiced strong criticism of the new regulations. According to Norris, F1 has gone from the “best” to the “worst” cars under the 2026 rules, particularly citing overtaking as being overly artificial due to reliance on battery deployment.
Russell: Different Tracks, Different Challenges
Russell addressed Norris’ complaints in his post-race press conference, emphasizing that the new regulations require adaptation and patience:
“It’s different, it’s definitely different. Every track we go to will present its own challenges. We’re going to Shanghai next, which has one long straight. Most drivers will use their energy differently there—you don’t need to divide it over four straights like we do in Melbourne.
“Everyone’s very quick to criticize. You need to give it a shot. We’re 22 drivers. Even when we had the best cars and least tyre degradation, people moaned about the racing. Now drivers aren’t perfectly happy and everyone said it was an amazing race. You can’t have it all. Let’s give it a few races before making a final judgement.”
Russell implied that performance influences perception:
“If he [Norris] was winning, I don’t think he’d be saying the same.”
Technical Parity and Selective Complaints
Russell also defended Mercedes’ performance relative to McLaren and other teams running the same engines:
“Last year we had the same engine as McLaren, and they beat us. Now McLaren have the same engine as us, the same as Williams and Alpine, and so far we’ve done a better job than them. That’s just how the game goes.”
He also referenced past complaints about porpoising, noting McLaren had previously denied experiencing the issue despite visible evidence:
“We weren’t happy with how stiff the cars were last year and the porpoising—it gave everyone back pain. McLaren drivers said there was no porpoising, even though we watched their car and they were porpoising. Everyone’s always looking out for themselves; it’s a selfish perspective.”
Norris’ Specific Criticisms
In addition to overtaking complaints, Norris criticized the cars’ race performance versus qualifying, calling them “ever worse” in race trim. He also highlighted the near 50/50 split between electrical and Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) power, stating it was insufficient for true racing excitement.
Russell countered that these criticisms are partly selective and dependent on personal performance:
“The truth is, last year we had the same engine as McLaren and they did better. Now with technical parity, our work is proving superior so far. That’s the nature of the sport.”
Looking Ahead to Shanghai
The F1 2026 season continues this weekend at the Chinese Grand Prix. Russell stressed that the impact of the new regulations will vary by circuit:
“Every track is different. The way energy is deployed and overtaking opportunities arise will not always be like Melbourne. Let’s see how things play out over the next few races before final judgment.”
Russell’s remarks reinforce a key theme for the early 2026 season: adaptation to new rules and driver perspective play a major role in shaping opinions on the sport’s technical changes.