McLaren conquered a total of 14 points in the Japanese Grand Prix. The duo of Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz faced challenges to maintain their position in P3 and ended up dropping to fifth place. According to Norris, Ferrari displayed exceptional speed, making it difficult for him to keep up.
Normally, McLaren has an advantage on circuits like Suzuka due to the characteristics of their MCL38. However, both Norris and Oscar Piastri struggled to maintain their pace for various reasons.
The Japanese Grand Prix proved to be a mediocre race for McLaren, with Norris admitting to facing difficulties during the race. The hot weather conditions affected the team’s performance in the beginning and middle of the race. Although the car gained speed as the weather cooled down, it wasn’t enough to meet the team’s expectations.
After disappointing results in Suzuka, Norris believes McLaren is struggling to keep up with Ferrari and Red Bull. Despite being the fastest non-Red Bull driver in the Japanese Grand Prix qualifying, Norris dropped to P5 at the end of the race, leaving him completely disappointed.
McLaren was only able to accumulate 14 points in the Suzuka event. Norris’ frustration is evident and it seems to be a challenge for the papaya team to challenge Red Bull and Ferrari in the Chinese Grand Prix, considering their current performance in the Constructors’ Championship.
