Norris Doesn't Expect Major 'Shake Up' Before 2026

Monday, 01 April 2024 at 12:00

Lando Norris asserted he does not expect any major changes in the pecking order before the regulations change in 2026.

The results of the first two races of the 2024 season have been disappointing for all the F1 fans who hoped to see closer figures for the race wins and the Championship.

Red Bull cars with Max Verstappen in the lead basically cruised from the start of the race to the finish line both during the Bahrain and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Ferrari beat Red Bull in the third race—the Australian Grand Prix—but it was after both Red Bull cars suffered from unlucky circumstances.

Even though he would love to, Carlos Sainz (who won the race) admitted after the weekend that he doesn't expect to be able to maintain this kind of pressure on Red Bull before his team introduces a new upgrade package.

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According to Lando Norris, Ferrari made the biggest step from last season. However, it still isn't quite enough to challenge the team from Milton Keynes regularly.

Both McLaren and Ferrari are now waiting to introduce significant upgrades sometime around the sixth or seventh round of the season and hope this can help them get closer to Red Bull. However, Norris suggested he doesn't expect significant changes in the pecking order before 2026:

"No, I think for things to really shake up, you need to wait until 2026. I think that could potentially be a big shake-up for every team, including the power units probably being one of the biggest things."

Red Bul is now obviously ahead with the development, allowing them to split their attention and start working on future projects. The 24-year-old expects the Austrian team to maintain their advantage.

"Now there's not really anything between the power units between teams, but a lot more between cars. I expect Red Bull, being the team that they are, to always carry an advantage because they're ahead."