Lando Norris expects ‘more chaos in races’ from F1 rule changes
Engines are still 1.6-litre V6 turbo hybrids, as they have been since 2014, but one of the two energy-recovery electric motors has been removed.
The total amount of electrical energy has tripled, but the battery is about the same size. If the battery is completely discharged, the engine will lose 350kw (470bhp), potentially leading to dramatic speed differences.
Drivers will pull back towards the end of the straights and be careful when stepping on the throttle to ensure the most efficient use of energy, even in qualifying.
The cars are also smaller and lighter, have less downforce and have ‘active aerodynamics’; here both the front and rear wings are deployed to increase speed on the straights and increase the possibility of energy recovery.
Norris said the new car “definitely feels stronger and faster” on the straights.
“The biggest challenge right now is battery management and knowing how to make the most of it,” he said.
“It’s not simple. You can explain it in pretty simple terms. You just have a very powerful battery that doesn’t last very long, so knowing how to use it at the right times, how much energy, how much power you’re using, how to divide it up throughout the tour…
“The biggest challenge is how to save the batteries as best as possible, and this comes when it comes to using the gears and achieving the right revs.
“Obviously there’s turbo lag that we’ve never had before. All those little things have come back, but I don’t think it’s going to change too much.”
“In a perfect world I probably wouldn’t do this [all] this is in a racing car, but this is just F1. Sometimes you face these different challenges.”
Teammate Oscar Piastri said the cars were “not as foreign as we feared” and stressed that he “doesn’t think F1 has ever lost its identity”.
The Australian added: “There will be some things we’ll have to get used to but maybe in terms of some of the fears we had before going out on track, a good majority of that has now been eased.”
“There will be some differences, but fundamentally I think these are still the fastest cars in the world.”
