Jenson Button believes Lando Norris will be returning this season as a “formidable force” after winning his first Formula 1 world title last year.
Speaking on Sky Sports F1 ahead of testing in Bahrain, the 2009 F1 world champion reflected on his experience of making the most of a change in regulations as he called the 2026 changes “the biggest one we’ve probably seen in modern F1” given the overhaul of the aerodynamics, power unit and chassis.
Button believes that the comedown of winning a championship just to continue with the same regulations is psychologically difficult, but 2026 won’t be this for Norris. He’ll start the new regulations off the back of a high-pressure win with seven wins, seven pole positions, and 423 points across the 24 races of the season. This year brings another reset, something Norris can get his teeth into once again.
“It’s not hard [to go again] but you need a new challenge,” the former Brawn GP driver said. “And that’s what this regulation change brings. And you arrive confident. You know you can do it – you’ve done it.
“So, it’s more everything after winning a world championship is fun. It’s a bonus. And going into a season thinking that way, he’s going to be a formidable force. I really think so.”
While four-time champion Max Verstappen was left disappointed with the new regulation cars after his first couple of days of testing in Bahrain, Norris was pleased with what he was feeling from his Woking machinery.
“A lot of fun. I really enjoyed it,” he admitted. “So, yeah, if [Verstappen] wants to retire, he can retire. Formula 1 changes all the time. Sometimes it’s a bit better to drive, sometimes it’s not as good to drive.”
Lando Norris, McLaren
Photo by: Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images
He added that the cars are new and have plenty of potential to be unlocked across the coming 24 races.
“It certainly doesn’t feel as quick as the past few years, and it certainly doesn’t handle as perfectly and those things,” Norris admitted.
“Comparing to the older cars, it doesn’t feel as pretty and beautiful to drive, but it’s still pretty good. It’s still early days of a regulation that’s meant to be a good amount slower, but if we fast forward to the end of this year and ahead to next year, we’re going to be going a lot quicker by then.”
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