In his print media session heading into the F1 Japanese GP, Lando Norris expressed confidence in McLaren’s performance, saying his team currently has the strongest car on the grid.
Norris believes McLaren is the strongest on the grid
“I’m confident at every track at the minute that we’re strong, but, you know, I think we’ve seen over the last week and a half, other people saying that they don’t think that we’re that far away,” Norris stated, ahead of the F1 Japanese GP.
“So as much as, you know, Max [Verstappen] might say stuff like his last stint in China was very strong, still not as good as us, but it was a lot more competitive.”
He acknowledged Ferrari’s growing competitiveness, citing recent results. “Fred Vasseur said that he thinks that Ferrari should be competing against us and a lot more up there. In fact, they beat us in the sprint and they qualified ahead of us, you know, so it’s like not that far ahead of them.”
McLaren’s strength lies in its driver pairing
Norris attributed McLaren’s advantage to having a strong driver pairing, a factor he believes sets them apart from their competitors.
“People love to be saying that, I think because we literally are the only team that has two good drivers at the minute. That’s the big difference,” he asserted. “You know, if one of us was doing a lot worse or one of us was not as strong, we would be, you know, the Sprint, Oscar [Piastri] was second and I was already eighth, but you’d have that a lot more often, like you do with Ferrari or like you do with Red Bull. Max is up there and you have the other driver a lot further back.”
He further emphasised how both he and Oscar Piastri push each other, which maximises the team’s potential.
“So I think just the fact we have two good drivers is honestly making the biggest difference,” he explained.
“Because in certain cases, I don’t think we necessarily had the quickest one, whether it was the sprint last weekend in the qualifying or the race, but the fact that we have just two good drivers pushing each other makes, I think, just a bigger difference than people expect and take acknowledgement for.”
Acknowledging McLaren’s success in F1
Reflecting on McLaren’s recent success, Norris acknowledged their newfound status at the front of the grid.
“So do I agree we have the best car? Yes, and it’s nice to say that. We have not had that before in Formula One. Max is at his time of having the best car by a long way and now it’s our chance, you know, and it’s our turn. So that’s the game.”
Comparing to Red Bull and Ferrari ahead of the F1 Japanese GP
When asked about his earlier comments regarding McLaren’s driver lineup compared to Red Bull and Ferrari, Norris clarified his stance and explained his comments with proper context.
“The Ferrari one is obviously the experience side of not experiencing Formula 1, because we’re lacking in that department,” he explained. “But just two drivers who understand the team, who have been at the team for a long time.”
He pointed out that Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari is still in its early stages. “Lewis is new to the Ferrari,” he said.
“He openly says he’s still learning how to use a steering wheel, the complexity of the steering wheel, not just how to use one. So is he going to be able to get every last bit of it out of the car, comparing to what me and Oscar can? No, he’s openly admitting to that.”
Norris made it clear that his statements were not about individual talent but rather about how well he and Piastri function as a duo within McLaren.
“It’s not that I think I’m much better than Lewis or Charles, because I don’t. And I’ve always been the first to admit that,” explained Norris.
“I would never put myself on any pedestal ever. But how we work as a team, I do think is better than any other team. How we push each other and get more out of one another as two drivers. I also agree we’re better than any other team. So I think that’s our advantage.”
