Lando Norris praises rare banishment of 'nonsense' F1 freature

Lando Norris has praised not having to worry about energy management at the Monaco Grand Prix, describing a key Formula 1 feature of the 2026 season as "nonsense".

For the first time in 2026, energy management, lift-and-coast and super clipping were not factors at the Circuit de Monaco, allowing the return of flat-out qualifying laps.

The drivers were able to focus purely on pushing and going as fast as possible, rather than ensuring they had enough battery charge to complete a lap.

Monaco's low-speed layout and lack of long straights meant energy management was not a requirement, with a full battery charge almost always available.

It resulted in the new cars being pushed to their limits, something that had not been seen since the introduction of the new power unit regulations.

While it did not drastically improve Norris' mood after qualifying eighth, he did praise the fact that energy management was not required.

Asked if it was enjoyable being able to just push flat out in Monaco qualifying, Norris told select media, including RacingNews365: "Yeah, certainly. At the same time, I'm not coming here [to the media pen] going, 'Yeah, it was way better, therefore I'm happy.'

"But at the same time, it's nice that it's as simple as that, you know. And I think what you see [in Monaco] is probably the purest qualifying laps you've seen all year.

"People are just pushing. You're still thinking about the turbo and all this nonsense, but it's all just about doing a qualifying lap.

"You're thinking about how close you can get to the wall and how you can do all of this, not, 'Do I need to get on the throttle later to save the battery for later?' and all that crap. Yeah, it's still probably, easily, the best qualifying lap of the year."