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Race Performance:
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Norris started 6th after Oscar Piastri’s crash on the way to the grid.
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Finished 5th, holding off a late charge from Max Verstappen in what McLaren described as “energy chess.”
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Ended 51 seconds behind winner George Russell.
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Views on the New Cars:
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Norris described the new F1 2026 machines as “even worse” in race trim than in qualifying.
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Labeled them “F1’s worst cars ever”, echoing Max Verstappen’s criticisms of the 50/50 combustion-electric power split.
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Driving and Racing Dynamics:
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Increased overtaking is largely artificial, caused by variations in battery deployment:
“You just get overtaken by five cars, and you can do nothing about it sometimes.”
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Norris warned that this could lead to serious accidents, as speed differences can reach 30–50 kph in close racing.
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Outlook:
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He admitted there’s nothing drivers can change about the regulations, so the focus is on improving McLaren’s own performance.
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Saw the race as a learning experience, noting the team is “nowhere near where we need to be with the car.”
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Key Quote:
“There’s gonna be a big accident… that’s a pretty horrible thing to think about. But that’s not my job. We just need to improve ourselves first.”
Essentially, Norris sees the new F1 2026 regulations as challenging, dangerous, and artificially chaotic, highlighting both the limitations of McLaren’s car and the broader safety concerns around energy deployment and overtaking.