LANDO NORRIS taunted Max Verstappen by saying “he can retire if he wants” after the Dutchman’s explosive rant about the new Formula One cars.
The sport has undergone a major regulations shake-up this season and will feature a much bigger reliance on electric energy.
Lando Norris has told moaning F1 rival Max Verstappen to retireCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
It comes after the Dutchman dubbed the new era of F1 cars ‘Formula E on steroids’Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
It means that drivers and teams will focus heavily on energy management and they are currently taking part in testing in Bahrain ahead of the season opener in , , on March 8.
Red Bull’s , who lost his crown last term to the new world champion Norris, has blasted the cars as “not a lot of fun” and feels “a bit more like on steroids”.
The four-time world champion added: “The rules are the same for everyone, so you have to deal with that [but] as a pure driver, I enjoy driving flat out and, at the moment, you cannot drive like that.”
When Verstappen’s comments were put to , he said he enjoys the new challenges of 2026 and feels that the drivers on megabucks wages “have nothing to complain about.”
Norris said: “A lot of fun. I really enjoyed it.
“So, yeah, if he wants to retire, he can retire. changes all the time.
“Sometimes it’s a bit better to drive, sometimes it’s not as good to drive.
“We get paid a stupid amount of money to drive, so you can’t really complain at the end of the day.
“Any driver can go and find something else to do.
“It’s not like he has to be here, or any driver has to be here.
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“It’s a challenge, but it’s a good, fun challenge for the engineers, for the drivers.
“You have to drive it in a different way, understand and manage things differently, but I still get to drive cars and travel the world and have a lot of fun.
“So, nothing to complain about.”
also gave his verdict on the “ridiculously complex” new energy system,
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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