'Drivers are blindsided': Norris backs key Hamilton demand over F1 rule changes

F1's 2026 regulations have come under heavy scrutiny ever since their introduction, with several drivers voicing their discontent over the 50:50 power unit split between internal combustion and electrical power. The need to constantly charge the 2026 cars' battery has led to concerns over the quality of both Qualifying and racing, as well as safety after a 50G crash for Haas' Ollie Bearman at Suzuka.

Tweaks were introduced to address those concerns at the Miami GP, and while F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali hailed the event as "truly wonderful," several drivers are yet to be convinced, including 2026's most vocal critic Max Verstappen. Changes were later announced for 2027, with the 50:50 split set to be altered slightly to 60:40 in favour of the ICE.

Speaking at the Miami GP to GPblog and other media, Ferrari's Hamilton was asked on how much say the drivers were having over new tweaks, giving the seven-time world champion the opportunity to call for further change.

He said: "All the drivers, we do work together, we all meet, but the fact is we don’t have a seat at the table. We do engage with the FIA and F1 - F1’s more often a little bit more responsive - but being that we’re not stakeholders, we don’t have a seat at the table currently, which I think needs to change.

Fellow Briton Norris has supported Hamilton's calls, adding that drivers are often "blindsided" when it comes to "external" decisions. Norris told media, including GPblog: "From first place to last place, we all want the same thing. We all just want to go flat out, race closely and at the same time, that’s the show that the fans want.

Norris conceded that drivers are not always going to get decisions right, and that there is a business side to consider, but argues it would be more beneficial for the fans and the sport as a whole if drivers had more of a voice.

“We have to accept that we’re maybe not always completely correct," he added. "But I think the majority of things that we think of as drivers and what we want for the sport is a win-win. It’s better for us and it’s better for the fans, and that’s our side of things.

“It’s something that we want. It’s what they have in a lot of other sports. It’s more of just a louder voice at times, rather than ‘drivers want this, why are you not doing it?’ It’s just a bit more of a say in some things and persuasion in directions into the future. At the minute, we don’t have that. So it’s more we just can’t voice our opinion as much as we would like. But that’s something we’re working on," the world champion concluded.