No team orders
The Japanese GP didn’t offer much excitement to spectators, turning into a long train of cars without overtaking. The only tense moments for the key positions occurred when Max Verstappen and Lando Norris exited the pits after their stops, and in the final laps, when Oscar Piastri closed in significantly on his teammate’s McLaren, putting him under pressure while the Briton failed to do the same with the race leader.
One major topic of discussion among experts and fans during the race was whether McLaren might let Oscar Piastri pass Lando Norris to try, with the Australian – who seemingly had a better pace – to challenge Max Verstappen for the lead. However, listening to the Woking team’s radio communications, this option seems never to have been considered by the papaya pit wall. A subtle hint was made by Oscar Piastri to the team around ten laps from the end, but even driver #81 never explicitly requested to be let through.
At the same time, from the conversations between the drivers and their race engineers, it was clear that Norris was struggling to close the gap to the world champion. This is evident from the fact that the current championship leader never managed to get within DRS range – less than a second from Max Verstappen – despite receiving some driving tips from his engineer after asking for help, having realised he was struggling too much in certain parts of the track.
Radio communications
Below are some of the most relevant exchanges between the top three drivers and their respective pit walls during the final part of the race:
Lap 34/53
Norris: “I can’t get any closer [to Verstappen].”
Joseph: “Copy Lando. Keep putting Max under pressure.”
Lap 40/53
Norris: “Why am I so s*** at the hairpin? Give me something to try, please.”
Joseph: “Lando, delay the braking point, release in phase 3 and focus on the throttle.”
Joseph: “Let’s also try the left paddle in turn 11. Left paddle in turn 11.”
Lap 42/53
Piastri: “Is Lando still saving? I think he should start pushing soon. I believe I have the pace to catch up.”
Lap 43/53
Stallard: “That’s Lando’s pace.”
Piastri: “Okay, like I said: I have the pace to catch up.”
Joseph (to Norris): “Oscar has DRS.”
Lambiase (to Verstappen): “Max, there’s some talk between the McLaren drivers trying to push each other. Keep your head down. Pace is good.”
Chequered flag
Norris: “I don’t know how much more we could’ve done.”
Joseph: “Good job. We’ll do it all again next weekend.”
Stallard: “P3, mate, P3. No overtaking chance. Really good pace.”
Piastri: “Yeah, good race guys. Pace is really good. Take the positives. Thanks everyone. I enjoyed it. Let’s get the next one.”
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