Photo: Race Pictures

F1 Today: Norris fires back at Verstappen, Stroll dissects Newey's Aston Martin

22:30, 12 Feb

bySamson Ero

From Lando Norris delivering a brutal verdict on Max Verstappen’s take on the new Formula 1 regulations to Lance Stroll sharing his thoughts on the AMR26 car designed by Adrian Newey, we bring you the latest round-up of happenings across the sport on our F1 today.

Norris delivers brutal verdict on Verstappen’s F1 car criticism

Norris has not held back in responding to Verstappen’s comments about the new Formula 1 cars. Earlier, Verstappen described the new regulations as producing cars that feel like “Formula E cars on steroids”, a claim Norris clearly does not agree with.

Lando Norris and Max Verstappen - Photo: Red Bull Content Pool

The McLaren driver was blunt in his assessment, suggesting the Dutchman should retire if he no longer enjoys it. Norris added that drivers are paid large sums of money, leaving little reason to complain about what they are given to drive. The Briton also highlighted how regulation changes regularly present new challenges that drivers simply have to adapt to.

Stroll hits out and dissects Aston Martin’s AMR26 car

While the F1 world continues to digest Norris’ response to Verstappen, Stroll has once again spoken candidly.

The Aston Martin driver expressed his dissatisfaction with the AMR26 challenger designed by Adrian Newey. In his assessment, the Canadian stressed that the Silverstone-based team appears to be around four seconds off the leading pack.

When specifically asked to identify the car’s main issues, Stroll pointed to a combination of factors, including the Honda engine, among other elements. However, the 27-year-old concluded with a witty remark, highlighting the livery as the only positive aspect of the Aston Martin machinery.

Day three of the first leg of Bahrain pre-season testing continues tomorrow. Catch up with the happenings from day two here.