Finally, a driver sticks his head above the parapet and calls out F1's powers-that-be for their seeming determination to ruin the sport in the pursuit of profit.

"Formula One is heavily led by the fact it's a business nowadays, and not about making the sport the best possible," says 2025 world champion, Lando Norris, according to the Daily Mail. "It's about how you make the most money," he continues. "That's not what it should be. That's not how a sport should be run.

"The fact we have hybrids, 50-50 and all that, (is the problem)," the McLaren driver, a long-time critic of the 2026 regulations, continues. "It's been done because more teams wanted to come in and you make more money."

Indeed, the 2026 regulations were drawn up with the hope of attracting Volkswagen brands Audi and Porsche along with other high-profile car manufacturers who would only enter if F1 became for sustainable and (road car) relevant.

Encouraged by a sport that promised a 50/5 split between ICE and electric power, Audi committed, as have Ford and General Motors, while Honda reversed its decision to walk away.

Like Max Verstappen, despite the changes to the regulations that will see the electric side of the engines power diminish over the next few seasons, Norris has no confidence that this will improve things.

"You can't just change your engine in the middle of the year," he says, "and you can't change it even with one or two years' notice because, as I say, it's not about doing what's best for the performance of a car, it's a business.

"It's a shame," he adds.

Without a hint of irony, F1 CEO, Stefano Domenicali, pointing to the increasing number of new fans, and especially the demographics they represent, insists the sport has "sold out".

"Fans from five years ago, pre-Drive to Survive, would hate this," says Norris. "Fans nowadays are a lot more personality-based, about the drivers, and not about Formula One as a whole sport," he continues, "so are less interested in how the actual race goes. They care more about whether a driver has done well or not.

"The fans have changed, and that's completely fine, but the biggest voice should always be ours as drivers. That is not because we're selfish and chasing what we want," he insists. "We're saying that because we have the best idea of how racing should be, how it can be, what's possible, what's not. We want the best for everything, the best for the fans, the best viewing, the best racing for us, the most fun to drive.

"At the minute, we don't have that. We have very, very little say. What they have done is because you can have Audi and other teams in F1, and that is a bigger win than the drivers being happy."

Bravo Lando, bravo!