Despite strong pace from Norris and Piastri, Verstappen’s flawless weekend left no room for error – or overtakes – at Suzuka.
Lando Norris believes the battle for victory at the Japanese Grand Prix was decided on Saturday, not Sunday.
The McLaren driver finished second at Suzuka, behind a flawless Max Verstappen, and admitted that unless the Red Bull driver made a rare mistake, the win was always going to be out of reach.
“Honestly, it was all about qualifying,” Norris said. “Max didn’t put a foot wrong. Our pace was close, but not enough to do anything unless he slipped up – and he didn’t. We pushed hard all race, but we just didn’t have anything extra to catch him. He was fast, consistent, and didn’t make any mistakes.”
Early in the race, Norris tried a bold move on Verstappen after the pit stop, even complaining over team radio about the lack of space. But after the race, he shrugged it off: “That’s racing. He was ahead, and let’s be real – Max isn’t the kind of guy who’s going to leave the door open! It’s just how it goes.”
Despite missing out on the top step, Norris was upbeat about McLaren’s performance: “It’s been a strong weekend overall. Sure, we always aim for the win, but Max earned it. Red Bull were quick, and we just didn’t quite have enough to match them.”
Teammate Oscar Piastri, who stayed close behind Norris for most of the race, echoed the sentiment. The Australian was convinced that starting further up the grid could have changed everything.
“I’m happy with the pace – it felt really good,” Piastri said. “I was right there at times, but track position is everything here. Yesterday was when the win was up for grabs. Still, I’m happy with the podium and the performance overall. We just need to qualify better.”
Piastri was the first of the front-runners to pit, sparking speculation McLaren were trying to undercut Verstappen. But he downplayed that theory.
“I was mainly covering off the guys behind, especially those on mediums. It was the right window for a stop. I’ll speak to the team about the strategy, but overall it worked out well.”
Even though he was closing in on Norris during the race, Piastri wasn’t frustrated by the lack of team orders.
“There wasn’t much to debate,” he said. “I felt strong, and maybe with track position I could have had a shot at Max, but I was behind – that’s racing. I asked the question, got a fair answer. It was a great race, and this is how we want to go racing.”
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Norris & Piastri Admit Pole Was Key in Suzuka Duel
Norris & Piastri Admit Pole Was Key in Suzuka Duel
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