Max Verstappen, Lando Norris Rip New F1 Cars Ahead of 2026 Australian GP, 'Probably the Worst' Ever

Two of Formula One's biggest stars are none too pleased with the new F1 cars featuring hybrid engines.

Reigning F1 champion Lando Norris spoke his mind Saturday after qualifying in sixth position for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, which will take place Saturday night at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne.

Norris expressed belief that the quality of F1 cars has dipped significantly compared to last year, telling reporters, "We've come from the best cars ever made in Formula One and the nicest to drive to probably the worst. It sucks, but you have to live with it and just maximize what you get given. It's certainly different. It's certainly not like it was last year. It's not like, yeah, push this corner more. Sometimes you push more, you lose the battery and just go slower. You have to understand how to do things."

Norris hit a cooling fan at one point during his qualifying run, and he blamed it on the fact that he was looking down at his steering wheel at the time to check the charge on his battery.

The new engines are about 50 percent fuel-powered and 50 percent electric, which has required some significant changes for the drivers.

Four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen fared even worse than Norris in qualifying, as he spun out and will have to start 20th in the 22-car field.

Verstappen made it clear Saturday that his enjoyment level is lacking with the new cars, telling reporters, "I'm definitely not having fun at all with these cars. I don't know. I mean, you can make up your mind, but I think if you look at the onboard, you see enough, right?"

Verstappen went on to suggest that his qualifying mishap would not have happened with the old engines, saying, "I just hit the pedal and the whole rear axle just completely locked, which is, especially with these Formula One cars, very weird. I mean, I've never experienced that in my whole life ... I have no idea where it comes from. ... There are so many things that we need to look at, I think, in general as a sport. So, what can I say?"

The 28-year-old veteran previously expressed concerns about the cars last month during testing.

Per ESPN's Laurence Edmondson, Verstappen compared the cars to Formula E, which is an open-wheel racing series for electric cars, saying, "Not a lot of fun, to be honest. I would say the right word is management. As a driver, the feeling is not very Formula One-like. It feels a bit more like Formula E on steroids."

Verstappen, Norris and the rest of the field will have their first opportunity to see how the cars handle in real racing conditions Saturday night (Sunday in Australia) when the 2026 F1 season officially kicks off.