Lando Norris tells grumpy Max Verstappen to QUIT Formula One after Red Bull star launched brutal attack on new regulations on eve of new season
Lando Norris has told Max Verstappen that he should retire if he does not like the new Formula 1 rules introduced this year.
Britain’s new title holder and the four-time world champion were locked in a war of words during pre-season testing in Bahrain ahead of the opening race in Melbourne on March 8.
Verstappen, 28, claimed that the revised rules resulted in cars that, as he saw it, were not Formula 1.
In a damning verdict on next term, he said it was ‘not much fun’ and was instead like ‘Formula E on steroids’.
The rules require that energy recovery, lifting and deceleration be a central component to ensure that the battery charge remains sufficient to optimize overall performance throughout a lap.
Ironically, Verstappen’s Red Bull team appears to have produced a very competitive engine – their first domestic power unit with support from Ford – despite their star man’s reservations about the new rules.
Lando Norris tells Max Verstappen to leave Formula 1 if he doesn’t like new rules
The Dutchman said: ‘The correct word is management. But on the other hand, I know from the guys how much work is done behind the scenes on the engine side. So it’s not always the nicest thing to say.
‘But I also want to be realistic. My feelings as a driver are not very similar to those in Formula 1. It’s a bit more like Formula E on steroids.
‘As a pure driver, I enjoy driving straight. And you can’t drive like that right now. There’s a lot going on.
‘A lot of the things you do as a rider in terms of inputs have a big impact on the energy side of things.
‘For me it’s not just Formula 1. Maybe it’s better to use Formula E, right? Because it’s all about energy efficiency and management. This is what they advocate. ‘Not very fun to drive.’
“All good drivers will be able to adapt to this.” That’s not the problem but just the whole shape of the race is changing and I would say it’s less pure.
‘I just want a normal ride, just the way it should be, without having to think “If I brake a little longer, or less, or more, or move up or down a gear”, which would greatly affect performance on the straights.’
Verstappen’s friend Norris has an opposing view to the changes. “It’s a lot of fun,” said the McLaren pilot, who won his first championship in Abu Dhabi last year.
Verstappen thinks they are now more like Formula E cars, less pure and not as fun to drive
Addressing Verstappen’s comments directly, Norris added: ‘So yes, if he wants to retire, he can retire.
‘I really enjoyed it. Formula 1 is always changing. Sometimes driving is a little better, sometimes not so much better.
‘We charge a stupid amount of money to drive, so we can’t really complain.
‘Any driver can go find something else to do. There is no need for any driver to be here.
‘It’s a challenge but a good and fun challenge for the engineers and drivers.
‘This is different. You need to navigate it differently and manage things differently.
‘But I still drive, travel the world and have a lot of fun, so there’s nothing to complain about.’
The Formula E Verstappen is talking about is an all-electric series that relies heavily on energy management to ensure the cars reach the end of races without running out of charge.
F1’s dilemma is slightly different; charge levels rise and fall on any given lap, but the desired deceleration always prevents full sailing.
