Lando Norris frustrated after Suzuka Friday: “The pace is there for Oscar, but not for me”. Lando Norris reflects on a difficult Friday at Suzuka after hydraulic issues limited his running.

It was a challenging Friday for Lando Norris at the Japanese Grand Prix, as the British driver endured a disrupted day of running despite a promising start in FP1. After securing third place in the opening session, his MCL40 encountered hydraulic issues that significantly limited his track time in FP2.

The problem forced Norris to begin the second practice session well behind the rest of the field, leaving him with only a handful of laps towards the end of the session. Despite the late effort, he managed to finish in sixth position, although the lack of mileage clearly put him at a disadvantage compared to his rivals.

On the other side of the garage, Oscar Piastri delivered an impressive performance by topping the FP2 timesheets, boosting morale within McLaren. The Woking-based team appeared to be in stronger form than Ferrari at this early stage of the Suzuka weekend, underlining a noticeable contrast between the two drivers’ sessions.

Lando Norris’ analysis

The disappointment in Norris’ assessment was evident as he reflected on a difficult day shaped by limited running and missed opportunities to gather crucial data.

“The pace is there for Oscar, not for me at the moment. A pretty bad day for us, we didn’t do many laps. This is not how we want things to go right now, especially because you learn with every lap you complete, and I didn’t do many,” he said.

“It’s not the best start, but we have the evening to analyse everything and try to fix a few things for tomorrow. I did a few laps, probably not enough. We’re on the back foot, I just need to try and make the most of it,” Lando Norris concluded.

Looking ahead, the third free practice session will be crucial for the reigning champion. FP3 will provide a final opportunity to rebuild confidence in the car and gather the data needed to prepare for a significantly stronger qualifying performance at one of the most demanding circuits on the Formula 1 calendar.

Lando Norris therefore heads into Saturday facing a deficit in data and track time compared to the rest of the field. Based on the content of his post-session debrief, the focus for the McLaren crew tonight will be ensuring the hydraulic integrity of the car so their star driver can fight back in the final practice session.