Lando Norris Dissects McLaren’s Strategy Blunder at the Japanese Grand Prix

Lando Norris, the young British racing driver for McLaren, believes his team missed an opportunity to challenge Red Bull’s Max Verstappen during the Japanese Grand Prix. Despite having a faster car, overtaking at Suzuka proved nearly impossible, and Norris and his teammate Oscar Piastri could not find the clear track needed to maximize their MCL39’s potential.

The Pitstop Decision that Cost McLaren

With the Japanese Grand Prix being an easy one-stop race, the only real chance for Norris to overtake Verstappen came during the sole round of pitstops. However, Norris pitted on the same lap as his rival, leading to a tense moment as they exited the pit lane together.

This decision proved costly, as Norris could not mount a serious challenge to Verstappen over the second stint. Reflecting on the strategy, Norris suggested that McLaren should have explored different tactics. “Maybe we could have tried a bit more with strategy and overcut or undercut,” he said.

The risk of a safety car entering the race made undercutting a tricky proposition for Norris. He admitted that he likely would not have been able to go longer without losing a position, but felt that McLaren should have still attempted an undercut and taken a different approach.

Hindsight Suggests a Different Qualifying Performance

Despite the strategy error, Norris believes that McLaren‘s chances of winning the race were lost during qualifying. Neither he nor Piastri delivered a perfect lap, while Verstappen did, securing him clear air for the entire race.

Max didn’t make any mistakes and drove a good race – being in clean air was enough to stay in that position,” Norris said. “The race was won yesterday in hindsight.” He added that while McLaren may have had slightly better pace, it was not enough to navigate the dirty air, get into DRS range, and then execute a pass, which is nearly impossible at Suzuka.

As the Formula 1 season continues, Norris and McLaren will look to learn from this experience and apply those lessons in future races. The team will undoubtedly be aiming for podium finishes and, ultimately, a championship challenge.