Lando Norris finished the Japanese Grand Prix in fifth place, just ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari. The British driver climbs to fifth in the Drivers’ Championship, limiting the damage after a challenging weekend that began with technical issues on his MCL40. Norris believes that updates arriving in Miami will allow McLaren to take another step forward in terms of performance.
Norris: “Temporarily first and third felt positive”
Norris’ weekend at Suzuka was anything but straightforward. During FP2 and FP3, his MCL40 experienced hydraulic and ERS system issues, significantly limiting both his qualifying and long-run mileage. “Some things about energy and tires I had to understand directly in the race, because I couldn’t test them on Friday,” Norris explained. The reigning world champion qualified fifth on Saturday and finished the race in the same position, making an excellent start alongside teammate Oscar Piastri. Norris gained positions over both Mercedes cars, including a remarkable outside pass on Russell at Turn 2. “We both had great starts, which was positive. At that moment, being first and third was nice and kind of a throwback feeling. It didn’t last long, because I had Kimi behind me. The fact that we managed to get such a strong result, even knowing we still have several gaps to close, I think is positive,” Norris commented.
Early challenges in the race
After just three laps, Norris was overtaken by the W17. His pace in the first stint was initially slower than Oscar Piastri’s, partly due to the advantage of clean air and more laps in practice. Norris admitted he didn’t feel completely comfortable in the car: “It was still a good race from my side. I think there are small details here and there – half a tenth here, a tenth there – where I was just slightly behind this weekend in learning them properly. I’ll be working on many things this month, honestly. I don’t feel fully comfortable in the car yet as I’d like. It’s not an excuse, but it’s partly due to the lack of laps so far. Once we’re a bit stronger and I feel more confident, I’ll be very optimistic about getting back on the top step.”
McLaren shows progress
The Woking team made notable improvements, helped by a circuit that suits the MCL40’s characteristics and better energy management compared to the first two races. Minimal graining, a previous weak point for McLaren, allowed the drivers to push more: “I think today was a good day for the team, a kind of boost for everyone to keep going and not stop. Even if we didn’t make many changes this weekend, it’s simply a track that suited us. We managed to get more from deployment, the battery, and the engine side, which are encouraging signs. There are still some challenges: we both had the same car issues and know the critical points. But yes, we’re moving in the right direction, and this is a really good starting point.”
Norris: “Miami upgrades and strong clean-air pace”
During the race, Norris was the first of the top drivers to pit, attempting an undercut on Leclerc. The attempt failed partly due to traffic from Ocon’s Haas. Shortly afterward, a Safety Car came out, dropping Norris to sixth, behind Lewis Hamilton who had stayed out. However, in clean air, the reigning world champion was able to set a strong pace and eventually overtake the Ferrari in the final laps: “The car seems to have performance now, especially in clean air. Clearly, Oscar had a very good race today. I think for me, being able to catch the Ferrari at the end… in clean air we were incredibly strong here, so I was able to control the situation well from the start.”
Optimism for Miami
McLaren looks forward to Miami with optimism, with a major aerodynamic and weight-reduction upgrade package for the MCL40, along with a deeper understanding of the Power Unit that should improve over the break. Norris added: “I’d say there are many positive aspects and a good race from our side because I don’t think we expected to be this strong. I liked the situations I experienced, in terms of tire degradation and battery management. We were competitive all weekend and we know there are still upgrades coming that will help us go faster. The others are already consistently fighting for these positions, so for us to be able to fight for the win today is really a very positive aspect.”
In summary, Lando Norris’s performance at the Japanese Grand Prix was a showcase of resilience against technical adversity. Based on the content of his post-race analysis, the combination of his “incredible” clean air pace and the massive upgrade package scheduled for Florida suggests that McLaren is rapidly closing the gap to the front of the 2026 grid.
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