Verstappen wishes F1 was 'more fun' but hopeful of change

World champion Lando Norris said the "very, very different style of driving" now needed meant "you can still make a difference as a driver by driving the power unit in the correct way, but not by necessarily driving the car in a much better way".

Referencing one of the most challenging corners at Belgium's Spa-Francorchamps circuit, Pouhon, the Briton said it would no longer be a case of who is the bravest through the 150mph double left-hander.

The McLaren driver said: "You're just going to see who can lift at the correct point and use the amount of throttle that you have to use that doesn't use the battery and those kind of things.

"So the driver can still make a difference by driving the power unit to the maximum of its ability, but that's quite a different style to just saying who can carry the most speed through Pouhon, who can carry the most speed into Turn Nine like last weekend."

In many instances, teams are using high-speed parts of the track to reduce engine output to the rear axle and charge the battery instead, a process known as "clipping".

But Ferrari's Charles Leclerc said that he had enjoyed the battle he had for the lead with Mercedes' George Russell in Melbourne, which was a result of the new style of F1.

Each was using the new 'boost' and 'overtake' modes, which give more electrical deployment, to pass and re-pass each other in the early laps of the race.

Leclerc said: "I was positively surprised by the battles I had with George. I enjoyed quite a lot this battle more than I had thought before the race.

"The cons are known and no point for me to go over and over but for sure in qualifying it is less enjoyable. You have more clipping and it is a bit of a different feeling but the racing I kind of enjoyed that strategic approach you had to think of when I was racing against George."

Russell, who won the first race, said: "We still need to give it more chance.

"Melbourne is a circuit with four long straights and you had to use your energy across four straights, and some used more on straight one and two, less on three and four and others the opposite.

"But now we arrive on a circuit like this and all the teams will use all their energy on one straight.

So I think for the fans it will look less extreme with the super-clip and recharge and I don't think the overtaking will be so much back and forth, so we just need to wait and see before making any quick decisions."