Lando Norris’ title defence in the 2026 Formula 1 season got off to a disappointing start, as the McLaren ace struggled in both Free Practice and Qualifying, ultimately securing P6 for the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park.
The new F1 regulations, including an engine and chassis redesign, did not seem to suit Norris, who slammed the changes, saying the teams had gone from the “best to worst” cars.
Norris has had a difficult weekend in Melbourne, struggling with reliability and setup problems, and the new mode of driving, which puts more emphasis on energy harvesting and managing battery power, was not helping his mood.
“You decelerate so much before corners, you have to lift everywhere to make sure the (battery) pack’s at the top,” the Briton said in the Albert Park paddock.
“If the pack’s too high, you’re also screwed. It’s just difficult, but it’s what we have.”
While powered by Mercedes engines, constructors champions McLaren were well off the pace of their Mercedes rivals in qualifying.
George Russell’s pole lap of 1:18.518 was over eight-tenths of a second quicker than McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who qualified fifth. Russell’s Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli qualified second.
“It doesn’t feel good as a driver, but I’m sure George is smiling,” said Norris.
“We’ve come from the best cars ever made in Formula One and the nicest to drive to probably the worst. It sucks, but you have to live with it.”
Norris told Sky he was nonetheless “pretty happy” about qualifying sixth amid the challenges, which included running over a cooling fan that fell off Antonelli’s car.
It caused a crack in Norris’s front wing, forcing him back to the garage where mechanics taped up the damage.
Norris was not holding out much hope of better lap performance in Sunday’s race.
Q3 is back to Green Flag conditions! 😮💨🟢
Who is your pick for pole in Australia? 👀#F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/PEtI8U2jGo
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 7, 2026
“I mean it already sucks, so it’s probably going to be even worse,” he said.
Piastri had a better run with his car, saying he had got close to everything he could have out of qualifying.
“Everything’s a bit scrappy, but with these cars, you change something a little bit from lap to lap and you end up with more power or less power,” he said.
“It doesn’t always go in the direction you expect. There’s plenty for us to learn after that, but I think we’re roughly where we thought we would be.”
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said the team needed to work with Mercedes HPP, their engine supplier, to extract more performance from the power unit.
“Mercedes’ performance today shows there is more to find there,” he said.
(With Reuters inputs)
