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| Written by Keith Collantine
High-speed corners which Formula 1 drivers tackled flat-out last year have become more challenging following changes to the cars, says Lando Norris.
The world champion drove McLaren’s new MCL40 for the first time last week at the Circuit de Catalunya. It features several high-speed corners including turn fourteen, which drivers took at round 265kph last year, and the 250kph turn nine (pictured).
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Norris said the simplified aerodynamics on the new generation of cars will make corners like these more of a challenge. “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,” he said. “So that’s a good thing in some ways and therefore you can see more racing.”
The reduced power of the cars’ aerodynamics will increase the benefit of running on fresh tyres, says Norris, which could have an effect on teams’ tactics. “You might have different strategies because what was [flat-out] 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.”
The revised aerodynamics are only one aspect of the sweeping changes teams have made to their cars in response to this year’s new regulations. The cars also feature new power units which allow drivers to deploy more electrical power when they choose to.
Norris expects this will create much livelier racing. “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,” he predicted.
“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,” Norris said. “And that’s probably a better thing, a good thing.”
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BasCB (@bascb)
5th February 2026, 10:46
It being more challenging to go around corners sounds like a good thing to me. And offering more benefits of taking on new tyres might show at least some to go for strategies other than “go for as long as the tyre can go to avoid extra pitstops” that was the norm the last few years.
MichaelN
5th February 2026, 11:42
I watched a documentary about F1 in the 50s yesterday, and it was great to see the drivers muscle their cars, catching slides, and sort of dancing on the edge of balance. It will never be like that obviously, but dialling down the grip and downforce sounds like a great step towards more power in the hands of the drivers.
Maisch (@maisch)
5th February 2026, 20:47
IndyCar in car footage can be reałly fun, alot of sliding and car wrestling, it looks really fast, especially on the bumpy street circuits. An f1 car is faster of course but often looks to calm and easy, and quite boring in car video in comparison, especially in race pace. Hope it changes abit and there will be less time WOT and more time fighting with the car.
Joao (@johnmilk)
5th February 2026, 11:19
I read a transcript from AS, where he sounded like the new regs would be the end of the world as we know it, with an incredible emphasis on chaos, glad to have come here and ser that he is positive about the change, hope it actually materialises on track, kind miss racing in F1 tbh
G (@unklegsif)
5th February 2026, 13:58
AS?
Juan Fanger (@juanfanger)
5th February 2026, 20:10
I’m guessing Adrian Sutil, but I could be wrong.
Joao (@johnmilk)
5th February 2026, 21:16
AutoSport
An Sionnach
5th February 2026, 11:26
It will be interesting to see what happens. More challenging cornering will benefit pure drivers like Norris; new and perhaps counter-intuitive situations involving engine modes will benefit whoever can take advantage of them… Sainz? Lewis (James Vowles said that Lewis is always experimenting with modes)? There’s always the possibility that one driver who has seemed on top of everything may not do it this time… and then there’s the possibility that he might infuriate his partisan detractors by (legally) sticking it in deep and using the electric acceleration to rifle the car down the straight in front of his opponent.
I’m encouraged that a number of the engines seemed reliable. We don’t know what will happen yet, but perhaps a number of them may produce something “good enough” first time? If not, we should hopefully have Mercedes versus McLaren at the very least. In that case, I back Norris.
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
5th February 2026, 11:53
130R
Eau Rouge
Copse
Maybe back as comfort lift corners
If that is so these new regs are already a success
Jere (@jerejj)
5th February 2026, 14:01
130R & Eau Rouge-Raidillon will definitely remain flat in dry conditions, given they were easily flat in qualifying trim even in 2014.
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
5th February 2026, 17:56
Assuming down force levels are the same as 2014. I don’t know this
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
5th February 2026, 18:00
I don’t know why I included 130r – they killed that in 2002 anyway
SteveR (@stever)
5th February 2026, 18:17
It would be great to see non-flat corners. Jacque Villeneuve trying to do Eau Rouge flat was exciting stuff.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
5th February 2026, 12:13
The more we can get the drivers involved the better in my opinion.
For too long we have been forced to suffer DRS trains and tyre management to the point where it doesn’t matter who is driving what car, they are all trapped into an almost identical script.
“Stay close and pray for a Safety Car”
Looking forwards to a bit of chaos for sure.
Cranberry
5th February 2026, 12:20
It’s settled then, in the next rules rework, Pirelli gets to start manufacturing 1:! fatbike tyres for use in F1 cars.
As an added benefit Pirelli get to produce new tyres and potentially have a new market/customers.
F1 fans can electrify their fatbikes and purchase Pirelli fatbike tyres, call the electrification a KERS-system and us couch experts are basically as well equipped as Valtteri Bottas’ mullet.
Bebilou (@bebilou)
5th February 2026, 12:41
Even the straights won’t be flat-out. But hey, we have all these PlayStation buttons and boost modes to compensate ! 🙃
Shimks (@shimks)
5th February 2026, 14:22
The more I read and think about these regulations, the more convinced I am that driving style/energy management tips from the pit wall should be banned. Let’s see which drivers are clever enough to make the most out of these new constraints.
MichaelN
5th February 2026, 19:37
Yeah, people often object that this would be impossible because there are so many dials in play. But on the other hand, the teams can get away with building the car like that because they know the car will effectively be operated by two people. If they knew the drivers would be in full control and couldn’t be told what to do, they would need to simplify some of the choices to make it manageable. And… I think that’d be great. So what if they end up being a few seconds slower of the course of a race? It’s the same for everyone, and nobody ever got into F1 because it was so cool how they could use different settings in T1 through 4 from those in T5 through 8. Who cares? These nigh on robotic calls to go to ‘P zero H five’ or whatever add nothing to the spectacle.
Imre (@f1mre)
5th February 2026, 21:15
I’m the opposite regarding energy management. Let’s have it fully automated, zero driver input. Only driver input should be Overtake Mode.
Osvaldas31 (@osvaldas31)
5th February 2026, 14:28
Back in 2014 then? Back then (and even in 2009) there was lots of talking about how cars are difficult to drive, sliding here and there, therefore there is more skill involved driving them. Why did they abandon those cars? Because they were quite slow and unexciting to watch. Actually, drivers were talking on the radio as if walking in the park on Sunday afternoon. People were saying it was too easy for drivers, not going flat out like gladiators, not sweating, not much of a physical strain. So 2017 regs were born – massive cars with lots of downforce, drivers breathing heavily in the corners from G forces. And we’re reverting again. Won’t be a repeat in a couple of years time? Personally, I prefer faster cars, exciting to watch speedwise, seeing ultimate machines going on best tracks in the world in the hands of best drivers. Therefore my favorite era was 2000-2004 (except Shumi dominating) and somewhat 2017-2018.
Juan Fanger (@juanfanger)
5th February 2026, 20:18
It’s incredible when you’re at the track and watching the cars live going through a corner at amazing speeds like they’re on rails.
But watching a broadcast the cameras are zoomed right in and you have no real feel for how quick the cars really are.
So for broadcast purposes, difficulty going through the corners where there might be a contest between cars is much better to keep the viewers interested. And for most of us, that is most of our watching.
Roger Ayles (@roger-ayles)
5th February 2026, 22:04
@osvaldas31 Yeah thats something many fans & pundits conveniently like to forget.
One of the main reasons the 2017 regulations were initially proposed & then introduced was because there was a growing opinion not just among fans but also teams, drivers & the motorsport media that the ‘slower’ cars and amount of management that was been done had made the cars far less physically demanding & easier to drive because drivers were nowhere near the limits.
Yes in 2009 & 2014 especially cars were moving around a bit more & looked harder to drive at times but drivers were all reporting that the cars were actually less demanding to drive because of how less physical they were to drive.
I remember Martin Brundle saying after doing the post race podium interviews at some point in I think 2015/16 talking about how it was disappointing to see drivers getting out of the cars looking like they had just been for a brisk walk rather than doing a 90+ minute race and comparing it to how physically drained drivers used to be when getting out of cars even a decade earlier around the same circuit. Johnny Herbert & David Coulthard also made similar points at other times during that time period.
The cars moving around a bit due to having less downforce is good and all but if we just end up back to where we were with slower cars and more management resulting in drivers been challenged less overall then I don’t see slower cars as a positive overall.
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