Norris: “Artificial overtaking. We risk a big accident with speed differences of 40-50 km/h”

A new way of driving

One of the themes of the 2026 Australian Grand Prix – which recorded 120 overtakes unlike the 45 of last year – is that relating to the new course of Formula 1, decidedly different from what has been seen so far. In particular, overtaking maneuvers have been put under the magnifying glass by the drivers themselves, who found themselves dealing with a new way of facing their rivals on the track.

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The opinion of Russell and Leclerc

The race winner George Russell explained: “Everyone is very quick to criticize. When we had the best cars ever with the lowest tire degradation ever, everyone complained. Now the drivers are dissatisfied, but everyone said it was a fantastic race. You can’t have everything. This regulation must be given a chance”.
Charles Leclerc tried to describe his feelings: “The way of racing and overtaking has changed. Before, it mattered more who was the bravest to brake last, now there is more strategy behind every move. It is certainly a different way of approaching races”.

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Verstappen very harsh and Norris sounds the alarm

Both Saturday and Sunday Max Verstappen did not spare criticism of the new era of Formula 1, explaining how unnatural the driving is and that you cannot go at the maximum.
Lando Norris – who in the pre-season had criticized the Dutch champion for his criticism – has diametrically changed position and aligned himself with Max, with tones – if possible – even more impactful: “The race was too chaotic. There will be a big accident and it will be a shame, something will go terribly wrong. We are not in a pleasant position and we can’t do anything. Everything is very artificial and depends on what the power unit decides, sometimes in a very random way. A sometimes you get overtaken by five cars and you can’t do anything about it. There’s no point in saying anything else, but it’s not for me. Depending on what each driver does, you can have differences of 30, 40 or 50 km/h. And if you hit a car with this delta you fly away, you end up against the fences and you get very hurt, and you risk doing it to others too. And it’s a horrible thing to think about”.

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