McLaren star Lando Norris supports big changes to F1 Grand Prix race days, just days after the FIA made a big announcement.
McLaren’s Lando Norris is all for Formula 1 cutting down race distances to stop the sport from becoming all about “who manages their battery best.”
Right now, Formula 1 bosses are thinking about shortening Grands Prix because they’re worried races could turn into battery-saving contests instead of pure, thrilling driving — which Norris really wants.
Today’s and upcoming hybrid F1 cars need a lot of system monitoring, but Norris believes shorter races would help manage this better.
Instead of drivers pushing their cars hard from start to finish, Norris and others often have to focus on managing their battery charge. For him, “that’s not what this sport is about,” so shorter races seem like the perfect fix.
Speaking to GPblog, the 26-year-old said shorter F1 races are a “good compromise.” He thinks it will make the sport better by focusing more on driving skills than battery care.
“It’s not about pushing harder, but you don’t have to think about the battery as much as this year, which drivers want,” Norris explained.
He sees it as a short-term change. “In a few years, we’ll have more fuel, bigger tanks, and then we can get back to longer races like before. But this is a compromise everyone has to make.”
Norris has said before, especially before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, that too much focus on energy management takes the spotlight away from exciting, close racing.
“This isn’t what the sport’s about,” he said. “It’s about drivers getting the best from their cars, and that’s missing this year. So yes, this compromise is necessary.”
Starting in 2027, Formula 1 races will be a bit shorter — 290 kilometers instead of the current 305 km, the FIA announced. That means 2 to 3 laps less in the longest races.
The new format stays mostly the same, just trimmed by about 15 kilometers. The change isn’t official yet, but approval is expected by the World Motor Sport Council on October 15.
The decision came after talks between the FIA and teams during the 2026 Formula 1 commission meeting, where they also set a maximum race time.
Currently, races can last up to three hours, but next season, that limit goes away and will be replaced with a fixed end time for race activities. The actual racing time will still be capped at two hours, but the new system allows more flexibility if races are delayed.