Lando Norris Reflects on McLaren’s Performance at the Japanese Grand Prix

Lando Norris, the current championship leader, was left rueing a small margin of 0.012 seconds as Max Verstappen snatched pole position at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka. Despite this setback, Norris expressed satisfaction with his car’s performance, having been quickest in FP1 and FP3.

Norris’ Struggles in China vs. Improved Performance in Japan

In contrast to the Chinese Grand Prix weekend where he found the car difficult to handle, Norris feels more at ease with his McLaren now. He admitted that he pushed too hard during Q3 run one and had to scale back, but was content with the balance and the state of the car at the end.

Despite missing out on pole, Norris is much happier than he was in China. He attributes this improvement to his car now having more front-end grip, a factor that has been lacking for him in the past. He feels confident all weekend and believes he would have had a significant advantage in a sprint race.

However, as the competition is fierce, everyone catches up by qualifying. Norris admits that there are still corners where he struggles due to insufficient front-end grip. He acknowledges that these tracks are not his strong suit, but is pleased with the progress made since China.

Weather Uncertainty Adds Excitement for Norris and Verstappen Battle

With rain forecast overnight at Suzuka and potential showers on Sunday, Norris remains cautious about predicting the outcome. He plans to do his homework tonight and is prepared for a race similar to Melbourne, which was an exciting spectacle.

Norris aims to overtake Verstappen again, as he did in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, where he defeated Verstappen by less than a second. The downpours during that race added to the excitement, and with rain forecast for Suzuka, Norris is looking forward to another thrilling race.

Piastri’s Second Row Start after a Challenging Qualifying Session

Oscar Piastri, Norris’ teammate, will start from the second row after losing time during the fast first sector in qualifying. Despite this, he set the fastest times in sectors two and three. Piastri admitted that his first sector was not his best and lost valuable time compared to his Q3 lap.

Piastri has had to work harder to find the McLaren‘s sweet spot at Suzuka, taking longer than usual to get there. However, he is content with his performance and looks forward to seeing what the weather brings tomorrow. His goal is to finish two spots ahead of his starting position.