It’s ‘our turn’ for success, says McLaren’s Norris ahead of Japanese GP

McLaren’s championship leader Lando Norris said on Thursday ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix that it was “our turn” to have Formula One’s best car.

McLaren have been the team to beat so far this season, with Norris winning the opening Australian Grand Prix before team-mate Oscar Piastri led him in a one-two finish in China.

Red Bull have dominated F1 in recent years, with Max Verstappen winning the drivers’ championship for the past four seasons.

Britain’s Norris believes McLaren are now faster and he intends to prove it again this weekend at Suzuka.

“Do I agree we have the best car? Yes, and it’s nice to say that,” said the 25-year-old, who has never won in Japan.

“We’ve not had that before in Formula One. Max has had his time of having the best car by a long way and now it’s our chance, it’s our turn.”

Norris leads Verstappen in the championship standings by eight points, with Piastri in fourth place behind Mercedes’ George Russell.

McLaren are one of the few teams at the front of the grid who did not make any driver changes ahead of the new season.

Norris said the chemistry between he and the Australian Piastri gives them an advantage over their rivals.

“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,” said Norris.

“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 has won the Japanese Grand Prix for the last three years and led then-teammate Sergio Perez in a one-two finish at Suzuka last season.

“I think if you go back one year ago, Red Bull were still a lot further ahead than we are now,” he said.

“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.”

Hamilton rubbishes claims he’s lost faith in Ferrari: Lewis Hamilton said on Thursday that suggestions that he had lost faith in Ferrari were ‘complete rubbish’ as he looks to rebound from his Chinese Grand Prix disqualification this week in Japan.

The seven-time world champion has experienced the highs and lows over his first two race weekends with Ferrari, finishing 10th in Australia before taking his maiden victory in Scuderia red at the sprint race in Shanghai.

Hamilton’s joy turned to despair the next day as he and teammate Charles Leclerc were both kicked out of the Chinese Grand Prix by stewards for separate technical infringements.

Hamilton told reporters ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka that he “didn’t feel any frustration” over the outcome in Shanghai.

“I saw someone said whether I’m losing faith in the team, which is complete rubbish,” he said.

“I have absolute 100 percent faith in this team.”

Expectations had been distorted, added Hamilton, by the “huge amount of hype” surrounding his move from Mercedes to Ferrari.

“I don’t know if everyone was expecting us to be winning from race one and winning a championship in our first year,” Hamilton said.

“That wasn’t my expectation. I know that I’m coming into a new culture, a new team and it’s going to take time.”

Hamilton said he was “not surprised” that Red Bull had replaced the underperforming Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda just two races into the new season, but called the decision “pretty harsh”.

Agencies