Lando Norris has questioned whether drivers still have control over their cars under the new Formula 1 regulations after he found himself stuck in a yo-yo battle with Lewis Hamilton at the Japanese Grand Prix.
The new regulations have left almost all drivers on the grid unhappy this season, with the current engines and energy deployment system causing various issues for teams.
With those changes has come a new yo-yo-like racing format, where drivers drain their battery to make an overtake only to be instantly surpassed due to having no power.
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Lando Norris heads to McLaren’s garage. NurPhoto via Getty Images
Drivers have compared the format to being like a game of Mario Kart, while Max Verstappen has gone as far as to hint he could retire if the regulations are not changed.
Norris has now heightened his criticism about the regulations, pointing to his involuntary battle with Hamilton in Japan that was caused due to the new power unit structure.
At one point during the multi-lap battle, Norris surpassed Hamilton on the final turn of the lap only to be immediately overtaken seconds later due to having little power left.
“I didn’t even want to overtake Lewis,” the McLaren driver said.
“It’s just my battery deploys and I don’t want it to deploy, but I can’t control it. So I overtake him and then I have no battery, so he just flies past.
Lewis Hamilton leads Lando Norris on track. Formula 1 via Getty Images
“This is not racing, this is yo-yoing. Even though (Hamilton) says it’s not, it is yo-yoing. When you’re at the mercy of whatever the power unit delivers, the driver should be in control of it at least – and we are not.”
Norris recognised that while the racing “looks great on TV”, it is no longer “as authentic as it needs to be” for drivers to truly be able to battle with each other.
The reigning world champion also pointed to an overtake he made on Hamilton that was purely made to avoid colliding with the Ferrari driver, whose power unit was exhausted due to an overtake he had made earlier in the race.
It is instances like that one that many drivers had warned could see catastrophic incidents unfold, with Ollie Bearman’s brutal 50G crash in Suzuka a glimpse of what could happen.
Bearman was lucky to hobble away with no serious injuries after crashing into the wall, with the incident unfolding due to the Haas youngster having to veer onto the grass to avoid colliding with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto.
“These kinds of accidents were always going to happen,” a frustrated Carlos Sainz told media after the race.
Lando Norris in action in Japan. NurPhoto via Getty Images
Liam Lawson admitted the power units are making him “mentally drained” as drivers now have to think more often about their moves due to the new power unit structure.
But Norris conceded that there is little the drivers can do to change the regulations now.
“If I go on throttle, my battery deploys and I don’t want it to deploy because it should have cut … there’s nothing I can do about it,” Norris said.
“There’s just not enough control for a driver. That’s why you’re just too much at the mercy of what’s behind you and that’s just not how it should be.”