Lando Norris expects Max Verstappen to remain in Formula 1 'longer than people say'

[p]Red Bull's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/verstappen-max/UV3mgeXB/"]Verstappen[/a] has been one ‌of the loudest critics of the new engine era and what he calls "anti-racing".[/p][p]"[b]I also saw that he said ‌he wants to win a fifth world championship so you know, I'm ‌sure he'll stay longer than people say[/b]," [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/norris-lando/WSVABbVF/"]Norris[/a] told reporters at a McLaren event at ‌their Woking headquarters on Wednesday.[/p][p]Norris beat Verstappen by two points last season, ‌ending his friend and rival's run of four titles in a row.[/p][h2]More wins than anyone last year[/h2][p]Verstappen, 28, won more races than anyone last year, but Red Bull, with their own engine replacing ‌the previous Honda power unit, have been far less ⁠competitive under the new rules.[/p][p]His long-time race ‌engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, is set to join McLaren at the end of 2027, a move Verstappen has said he gave his blessing to.[/p][p]"[b]Max has earned the right to go and do whatever he wants[/b]," said Norris.[/p][p]"[b]It would be a ​shame and a miss for the sport if that does happen (Verstappen leaving) because he probably is one of the best drivers you'll see in Formula 1 ever[/b].[/p][p]"As ⁠much as he makes our lives ​incredibly tough at times, he's always good fun to race against... you always feel like you want to race against the best in the world."[/p][p]Teammate [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/piastri-oscar/MqKAIeUf/"]Oscar Piastri[/a] agreed it would be a shame if Verstappen, who has a contract to 2028 but with ‌known break clauses, left in his prime.[/p][p]"I think Max has shown his calibre in the last 10 years and especially in the last five or six has been the benchmark," he said. "[b]So I think for everyone it would be a pretty big shame and obviously not a great look[/b]."[/p][p]Formula One announced changes to the rules on Monday aimed at improving safety and addressing drivers' concerns about how they go racing with hybrid power units now split roughly 50-50 between electric and combustion power.[/p][p]Piastri admitted the tweaks were so technical, involving megajoules and kilowatt calculations, that even ‌he struggled to explain them in simple terms.[/p][p]"I still need to go through all ​the details of all the rules," said the Australian.[/p][p]"[b]I need someone smarter ‌than me to explain what's actually changed. But I think it's a step in the right direction for sure[/b]."[/p][p]Piastri said he had tried to explain the rules to friends during the off-season, "and it was a pretty long conversation with a lot of follow-up questions.[/p][p]"But yeah, with the power units there's not ⁠really an easy way to simplify them ⁠or the rules around them... ‌it's always going to be a compromise, and that's what we have."[/p]