Lando Norris: McLaren Have the Best Car in F1, It's Our Turn to Shine

Lando Norris says McLaren have the best car in Formula 1 and is confident they can maintain their championship lead ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.

Lando Norris, the championship leader for McLaren, made a bold statement on Thursday ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, declaring that it's “our turn” to have the best car in Formula 1. Norris' confidence stems from McLaren's impressive performance so far this season.

McLaren has been the dominant force in the early stages of the season, with Norris securing a victory in the opening Australian Grand Prix. The team's success continued in China, where Norris finished second behind his teammate Oscar Piastri, who took the top spot on the podium. This one-two finish has bolstered Norris' conviction that McLaren has the best car in Formula 1.

Red Bull has enjoyed a period of dominance in Formula 1, with Max Verstappen securing the drivers' championship for the past four seasons. However, Britain's Lando Norris believes that McLaren has now surpassed Red Bull in terms of speed, and he's eager to prove it this weekend at Suzuka.

Norris, who is currently leading the championship, expressed his confidence in McLaren's car, stating, “Do I agree we have the best car? Yes, and it's nice to say that.” The 23-year-old acknowledged that this is a new experience for him, saying, “We've not had that before in Formula 1.” Norris also nodded to Verstappen's past dominance, adding, “Max has had his time of having the best car by a long way and now it's our chance, it's our turn.”

🚨 | Lando Norris insists the main reason for McLaren's advantage is not the car - it's having the best lineup in F1.

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Lando Norris, the current championship leader, holds an eight-point advantage over Max Verstappen in the standings, with his teammate Oscar Piastri sitting in fourth place behind Mercedes' George Russell. Notably, McLaren is one of the few top teams that opted not to make any driver changes ahead of the new season. Norris believes that the continuity and chemistry between him and Piastri give them an edge over their competitors.

According to Norris, the partnership between him and Piastri is a key factor in McLaren's success. “I would never put myself on any pedestal ever, but how we work as a team, I do think is better than every other team,” Norris said. He also emphasized the benefits of their driver pairing, stating, “How we push each other and get more out of one another as two drivers, I also agree we're better than any other team.”

Verstappen, who has dominated the Japanese Grand Prix in recent years, will be looking to extend his winning streak at Suzuka. However, Norris remains confident in McLaren's progress, highlighting the significant gap that Red Bull had over the field last season. “I think if you go back one year ago, Red Bull were still a lot further ahead than we are now,” Norris noted. He also acknowledged the increased attention McLaren is receiving, saying, “The fact that they had two drivers up there, dominating, they were a lot further ahead than we are now. So I think we're doing a very good job, and I feel like people are talking about us a lot more now.”