F1 champion warns new racing style may take time for fans to get used to

11:01, 07 Feb

byKada Sarkozi

Lando Norris says that not going “flat out” in qualifying can take some time for fans to get used to as well.

With the new regulations introduced in Formula 1, battery management is also set to play a key role in the series. As a result, lifting could be required on part of the track that were previously flat out.

Speaking to a select group of media, including GPblog, Lando Norris commented: "It was fun to drive. It's different, of course. When you're on a qualifying lap and you have to lift off a little bit.

"It's certainly not what you've grown up doing, it's not what you do in karting, it's not what you've ever done. So there's some different challenges: when you're starting a lap and yeah, mentally you're like, 'okay, here we go.'

"And you don't go flat out at the last corner because you're saving the battery. And then you go over the line and then you lift again. That's certainly not how you would normally think that you start a qualifying lap, but that is just the challenge that we have."

According to the defending world champion, the more the drivers get used to it, the better a spectacle they will be able to put on for the fans at home as well.

The Briton continued: "This will also get better over time once people figure things out in a better way. And I'm sure over time we'll try and make adjustments to these things to make it better for racing and better for everyone watching."

Landon Norris - Photo: Race Pictures

The benchmark circuit already felt different

The teams completed the first pre-season test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya last week. After having a first go at this in real life, Norris could already feel the difference.

"They were good fun because it's more power and effort to a certain extent, which means you're hustling, you're having to control the car a bit more and fight the car at times more. Turn 9 in Barcelona, Turn 3, the last corner, were pretty much flat last year.

"Which is quick, especially the last corner, to do it almost flat is quite an achievement in a Formula 1 car. This year it's longer, you have to brake a little bit."

According to Norris, this can make racing more exciting as well. "It's quite a lot more corners that were easy in previous years, over the last few years want to become much bigger corners again, so that's a good thing in some ways and therefore you can see more racing.

"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.

"There's a lot of things that we still have to figure out and learn, strategies, pit stops, all of these things, the tyres, it's still one of the biggest areas," he concluded