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Norris: F1 has lost the plot chasing money over racing

By Kavi Khandelwal

Lando Norris didn't hold back at the Hungaroring this weekend, telling reporters that Formula One has let commercial interests run the show at the expense of the racing itself.

Speaking ahead of Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix, the reigning world champion said the sport's 2026 rule overhaul — introduced partly to entice new manufacturers to the grid — has come at too high a cost. "It's a business. Everyone wants to make money," Norris said, pointing directly at the new power unit regulations that brought Audi and Cadillac into F1 this year. His frustration isn't new, but it's sharper now. Drivers have been vocal all season about how the 2026 rules — which pushed the electrical share of the power unit close to parity with the combustion engine — have blunted straight-line speed and forced awkward energy-management driving, especially through the fast sections at Spa-Francorchamps last weekend. Sky pundit Martin Brundle even said he'd been brought close to tears watching cars slow down mid-corner to save battery charge. Norris went further than just criticizing the regulations themselves. "Formula 1's gone too heavily led by the fact it's a business," he said, arguing the sport has prioritized revenue over asking how racing could simply be made better. "That's not how a sport should be run," he added, calling the current direction a shame that should never have happened. It's a rare moment of a reigning champion publicly separating the sport he races from the business that runs it — and pinning the blame squarely on money. F1 didn't stay quiet. A spokesperson pushed back, insisting the on-track product remains the top priority and that the sport's commercial growth has benefited everyone, drivers included, with decisions made in the interest of fans, teams, and partners alike. Norris didn't stop at regulations. He also took aim at how the fanbase itself has shifted since Drive to Survive brought a wave of new eyes to the grid, suggesting today's audience cares more about driver personalities than the mechanics of a race. He was careful to say that shift isn't a bad thing on its own — just that it's changed what F1 prioritizes. Still, he argued the people who understand racing best should have the loudest voice in shaping it: the drivers themselves. The comments land at an interesting moment. Norris is McLaren's defending champion but has openly floated stepping away from F1 well before a Hamilton-length career, saying earlier this year he wants a family and, in his words, wants out. Combine that with his very public discomfort over where the sport is headed, and it's hard not to read his Hungaroring comments as more than a passing gripe. Whether F1's decision-makers take note is another question. But when your reigning world champion says the business side has drowned out the sport, that's not a soundbite that quietly disappears.