Lando Norris backs Max Verstappen to stay in F1 after drivers win rule changes

Lando Norris has said he believes Max Verstappen will continue to race in Formula One but that it would be “a miss” for the sport if the four-time world champion did decide to leave owing to his dissatisfaction with the way this season’s new regulations have affected how drivers race.

Verstappen has been outspoken in his dislike of the new regulations and their focus on electrical energy management that now makes up almost 50% of the car’s power output. He has intimated he might leave the sport but, with the rules having been adjusted by the FIA in an effort to address concerns of all drivers this week, Norris felt the Dutchman would remain in F1.

“Hopefully things get better and I just saw that he said he wants to win the fifth world championship at the minute, so I’m sure he’ll stay longer than people say,” Norris said.

The McLaren driver, who is the defending world champion, noted, however, that it would very much be F1’s loss if Verstappen left because he was disenchanted.

“It would be a shame for the sport, it would be a miss for the sport if that does happen because he probably is one of the best drivers you’ll see in Formula One ever,” he said.

“It would be a shame for us because as much as he makes our lives incredibly tough at times, he’s always good fun to race against and it’s always cool to race against someone that’s won four world championships. You always feel like you want to race against the best in the world and he certainly is one of them, so it would be a loss for the sport.”

On Monday F1 announced the changes to the regulations, which will come into force at the next round in Miami on 3 May. The adjustments focus on the parameters of the energy recovery management during qualifying and racing. Both Norris and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri expressed cautious optimism that the adjustments would indeed lead to a better experience behind the wheel.

Max Verstappen has been unhappy with this season’s regulations. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

“The two main things we [drivers] wanted addressing was reinstating the challenge in qualifying and making things more natural in the way it should be in qualifying and being able to reduce the closing speeds and the speed differences in the race in unexpected places,” said Piastri.