McLaren takes their first double podium sweep, Norris praises the team’s “outstanding” development
After Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finished second and third, respectively, against Max Verstappen in the Japanese Grand Prix, Norris declared that McLaren is “getting there” in their quest to dethrone Red Bull.
Piastri and Norris started the race on Sunday in second and third place respectively, and they both made moves to pass Verstappen as soon as the lights went down. Piastri tried to pass Verstappen on the inside of Turn 1, while Norris attempted to pass him on the outside.
After coming so close to winning, Norris eventually settled for second place, while Piastri took third. When Piastri made his pit stop while there was a Virtual Safety Car in effect, their positions shifted, but Norris’ good performance following his own stop persuaded McLaren to switch the duo around.
After crossing the finish line slightly less than twenty seconds behind Verstappen, Norris commented after the race:
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“My start was very good, I almost had Max, but Max is Max, so I didn’t have a lot of chance into Turn 2. I tried, but the pace was extremely strong today, comparing to everyone.
“We are not close to Max, but we are not miles away either, so it was a very good day, and also for Oscar, it was his first podium in F1, so congrats to him.”
When asked if he believes McLaren are moving closer and closer to the front, particularly because they have now claimed back-to-back P2 results, he responded as follows: “We are pushing, we are getting there. The progress we’ve made is pretty outstanding.
“Like I said, I’m very proud of the team, the steps forward we are making every weekend. I’m sure there is going to be some tough times again, but we are getting there, step-by-step.”
Piastri ultimately finished 17 seconds behind the winner, but he was ecstatic to secure his maiden podium finish in a Grand Prix. This achievement came on the heels of his finishing in second place in the Belgium Sprint event earlier this year.
“It feels pretty special, definitely,” he commented. “I’ll remember it for a very long time. I can’t thank the team enough for giving me this opportunity.
“There’s not many people in the world that get this opportunity in their whole life, and I’ve managed to have in my first season. It wasn’t my best race ever, but it was enough to get a trophy at the end, so I’m super happy.
“In the second half of the race, I got more into a groove, more into a rhythm, and the pace was a bit better, so I’m very, very happy and excited to try and get some more.”