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Russell wins the race again as Norris slams ‘worst’ regulations
The Mercury
|March 09, 2026
WORLD champion Lando Norris admitted he fears it will be a “long, tough season” after steering his McLaren to a distant fifth at the Australian Grand Prix yesterday.
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The Briton was well off the pace all weekend as Mercedes and Ferrari dominated, having adapted more quickly to new rules regarding engines, chassis, and aerodynamics.
Norris has been critical of the regulation changes, claiming they are taking the sport backwards. However, he was content with finishing fifth in Melbourne given how far McLaren seem to be behind their arch-rivals at the start of the season.
“PS is a good result; I think we maximised what we could achieve,’ he said. “The gap to the guys ahead is pretty big Ae we clearly have a lot of work to do. It’s looking like it’s going to be a long, tough season.”
One positive for Norris was holding off a charging Red Bull ace, Max Verstappen, who finished sixth after starting from 20th on the grid.
This story is from the March 09, 2026 edition of The Mercury.
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