Lando Norris issues warning to F1 fans over 'more chaos in races' as rule overhaul introduces 'boost button'

Ed Griffiths

By Ed Griffiths


Published: 05/02/2026

- 09:12

Norris was among the fellow drivers who tested the team's new car in Barcelona last week

Lando Norris has predicted that this season's Formula 1 will bring "more chaos in races" as new rules come into force.

The sport is undergoing its biggest regulatory change in history, with new requirements for engines, chassis, fuel, and tyres.


The Briton said: "You're going to see more chaos in races where a driver has to be a little bit more on top of all of these different situations that can happen.

"And that will happen through the whole year, I would say. There's more emphasis on drivers' ability to control all of these things."

To change the dynamics of racing, a new 'boost button' will be introduced, giving drivers an extra burst of electrical energy.

Norris said: "You'll be able to force people more in different positions and create racing potentially in better ways than you have been able to in the past.

"And that's probably a better thing, a good thing."

Norris was among the fellow drivers who tested the team's new car in Barcelona last week.

Lando Norris

Lando Norris has predicted that this season's Formula 1 will bring 'more chaos in races'

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GETTY

There are two further three-day pre-season tests in Bahrain over the next two weeks, which begin on February 11.

Norris predicts the changes will see drivers switch position more often on the track.

He said: "You'll see more yo-yoing, more moves with extra speed. But then that person might have to defend more than what you've seen in the past and that will create more chaos, which is great for you guys."

The British driver revealed that McLaren's new car "certainly feels more powerful and quicker" on the straight.

McLaren car

Norris was among the fellow drivers who tested the team's new car in Barcelona last week

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PA

He added: "The biggest challenge at the minute is battery management and knowing how to utilise that in the best way.

"It's not simple. You can explain it in quite simple terms. It's just you have a very powerful battery that doesn't last very long, so knowing how to use it in the right times, how much energy, how much of that power you use, how you split it up around the lap...

"The biggest challenge is how you can recover the batteries as well as possible, and that's when it comes down to using the gears, hitting the right revs. Obviously, you've got some turbo lag now, which we've never really had before. All of these little things have crept back in, but I don't think that changes too much.

"In a perfect world, I probably wouldn't have [all] that in a race car, but it's just F1. Sometimes you have these different challenges."

Lando NorrisNorris became the first British F1 driver since Lewis Hamilton to win the World Championship | GETTY

Norris also explained how races will be impacted, stating: "Quite a lot more corners that were easy flat in previous years or the last few years are going to become much bigger corners again.

"So that's a good thing in some ways and therefore you can see more racing.

"But you might have different strategies because what was then flat last year and not really a grip-limited section, now when you put a new set of tyres on you'll be able to gain in a lot more parts of the track."