Lando Norris: Changing Race Style Every Year Is My Job

Lando Norris has revealed that he has had to change his driving style "every single year of my life" throughout his Formula 1 career, following the sweeping regulation changes in 2026 that have forced drivers to adapt to completely new machinery. The reigning F1 champion insists that adaptability is the key to staying at the top.

The new technical regulations introduced in 2026 represent one of the biggest changes in the sport's modern history. Ground-effect cars have been abandoned, while the 1.6L V6 turbo-hybrid engines have undergone a drastic revision with a 50:50 power split between the battery and ICE components. This has fundamentally altered the way racing unfolds since the start of the season.

Lando Norris was responding to comments from George Russell, who described the 2026 cars as unnatural to drive. Norris, who races for McLaren, sees this as part of his profession. "I've had to change my driving style every single year of my life," he told media including Motorsport Week. "For him it's worked for 20 years, for me it's not worked. My driving style worked back in 2018 when I did my test here [in Hungary]. That's probably about it. Ever since then I've had to change."

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Norris, who made his debut in 2019, admitted that every race weekend feels like learning a new car. "Every single race I come into at the minute, I feel like I have to completely forget the last weekend and learn how to drive a new car," he added. "Every driver is different. But for me, my whole career in F1 has been about how I can change my driving style every season."

Russell's comments largely stem from the fact that the 2026 cars are not only lighter and more lively under traction, but also a completely different beast in terms of energy management. Norris's teammate, Oscar Piastri, has been vocal about how the power unit's idiosyncrasies have become a "crap way of going racing." Norris himself called the MCL40 probably the most difficult car he has had to drive in his entire F1 career.

Nevertheless, Norris believes that drivers at the pinnacle of motorsport must make do with whatever machinery they are given. "I think the more experience you have in F1, the better equipped you should be," he explained. "If you're not ready to adapt to a different car, then you're not at a good enough level. It's our job, it's what we've got paid millions to do. It's to drive any car you get given, whether it's a good one, a bad one, an easy one or a hard one. You have to do it."

With his maiden win of 2026 under his belt, Norris now looks forward to the Dutch GP in late August to kick off a second-half title defence. He aims to build on the momentum from Hungary and challenge for more victories in the remaining races.