Melbourne – The first race of the 2026 Formula One season is already serving up a heated rivalry off the track. After a dominant victory in the Australian Grand Prix, Mercedes’ George Russell took a pointed swipe at rival Lando Norris, suggesting the McLaren driver’s harsh criticism of the sport’s new regulations is simply “sour grapes.”
Norris launched a scathing attack on the sweeping changes to engine and chassis regulations after qualifying in Melbourne, declaring the new cars are the “worst in history” and that the rules “suck.”
The major shake-up has seen power units switch to a 50 percent battery split, requiring drivers to carefully manage energy through braking and lifting off the throttle to recharge.
Russell’s Cheeky Response
After storming to victory on Sunday, Russell was asked if he saw Norris’s comments as the complaints of a driver whose team is no longer at the front of the grid.
“If he was winning I don’t think he’d be saying the same,” Russell fired back, with a smile.
The Mercedes driver highlighted the selective nature of driver criticism, recalling past complaints about porpoising—a phenomenon McLaren’s cars seemed to handle better than others in previous seasons.
“We weren’t happy with how stiff the cars were last year and the porpoising,” Russell explained. “Everyone had a bad back and the drivers were complaining about that and the McLaren drivers said they had no porpoising, even though we watched their car and they were porpoising. So everyone is always looking to themselves.”
He drove the point home by highlighting the parity of the power units. “The truth is last year we had the same engine as them and McLaren did a better job than us and they beat us. Now McLaren have got the same engine as us… and so far we’ve done a better job than them. That’s just how the game goes.”
Russell urged his fellow drivers to give the new regulations more time, stating, “Everyone’s very quick to criticise things, you need to give it a shot.”
Norris’s Gloomy Outlook
Norris, who finished a distant fifth—over 51 seconds behind Russell—remained downbeat. His weekend was further marred when home hero and teammate Oscar Piastri crashed out on a reconnaissance lap before the Grand Prix even started.
While acknowledging a long season ahead, Norris couldn’t hide his frustration with the car’s performance. “It’s looking like it’s going to be a long, tough season, but we’re in a reasonable place to start from and we’ll do the best we can,” he said.
With Russell’s Mercedes looking formidable and McLaren struggling to find pace, the battle of words between the two Britons is set to be one of the compelling storylines of the 2026 season.
