Lando Norris gave it his all during the qualifications at Suzuka. The driver gave it his all to get a better result, however, he was beaten by his rookie teammate Oscar Piastri. Norris seems to not give up as he plans on winning yet another podium this season. This will be McLaren’s second double front grid after the British Grand Prix. However, the McLaren failed to secure a double podium at Silverstone.
Therefore they will be doing their best to bring back what they missed. With Piastri starting alongside Max Verstappen and Lando Norris following them, the stakes will be high. When Lando Norris was asked about his teammate Piastri, he said, āPiastri‘s contract? Yeah congrats, it gives him continuity in the team. As a teammate, he pushes me a lot. Where do I place our pairing in the current grid? We’re the strongestā
šļø#Norris: ā#Piastri‘s contract? Yeah congrats, it gives him continuity in the team. As a teammate he pushes me a lot. Where I’d place our pairing in the current grid? We’re the strongestā
(#F1 Press Conference) #F1JP | #JapaneseGP šÆšµ pic.twitter.com/jeyPPSrONI
ā Bad Post F1 (@BadpostF1) September 21, 2023
His answer was a motivation for Piastri to do better at the race. However, Norris has plans to beat his teammate to the podium. Norris has been a star driver for McLaren for a while, therefore, he cannot have a rookie outshine him. Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri has extended his contract with McLaren until the end of 2026. This will put Lando Norris under more pressure as Piastri shows the same skills as Verstappen in his rookie season.
Lando Norris asks Oscar Piastri to “do a Senna” on Max Verstappen
When talking in the interview, Norris urged Piastri to pull a Senna on Verstappen. Senna and Prost were teammates for two consecutive years, 1988 and 1989. Both the drivers were fighting for the championship. However, during the 1988 Suzuka race, Prost and Senna clashed, making Prost the champion for the season, Nonetheless, Senna took his chance at hitting Prost intentionally in 1989 at Suzuka making him the champion.
Norris urged Piastri to do the same jokingly. He confessed if he happened to do so, it would be “simply lovely” for him. However, everyone just laughed off Norris’ nefarious plans to bring McLaren to the top. Max Verstappen has proven he has no plans of losing at the qualifications. As for McLaren, they may have to throw a lot more than “Mario Kart stink bombs” at their rivals to win a race.
Lando being what I like to call- a shitdisturberšš pic.twitter.com/HE8Jj0SLyN
ā Lando Norris Fans (@Norrislandofans) September 23, 2023
Lando Norris will start his race from behind Max Verstappen. However, his teammate, Piastri, will be in the front of the grid alongside the Dutchman. This will give him a better chance at overtaking Verstappen and leading the race even for a few laps. However, Norris could have a much more difficult time once other drivers catch on to him on P3 and fight for the position. With the race starting, Norris may have to pull some strings to get on top again.
