Lando Norris explains why McLaren have best driver line-up in Formula 1 and is stronger than Ferrari | F1 News happymamay

Lando Norris believes that the way he and his teammate Oscar Bayastiri “pushed each other on” that McLaren has the most powerful driver collection on the Formula 1 network.

Norris and PiaSSTRI won the opening F1 in 2025, and they were appointed in the battle of a seasonal title in their third campaign as teammates in McLaren.

Although he did not win the drivers championship, unlike the MAX VersApet of Red Bull or Luis Hamilton from Ferrari, Norris was keen to offer the quality of McLaren driver before the Japanese Grand Prix race this week.

The current championship leader said: “I am confident of every path at the moment when we are strong. But we have seen during the past week and half, they say other people who say they do not think we are far away.”

“As much as Max might say things, his last period in China was very strong, still is not good like us, but it was more competitive. I saw Farid Vaswour said he believed that Ferrari should compete against us, a lot from there, hit us in the enemy, and they qualified in front of us.

“We are not so far. People love to say that, I think, because we are literally the only team that has two good drivers at the present time. This is the big difference.

“If one of us was working much worse, or that one of us was not strong, like Oscar was second in the China race, and you are already eighth, but you will have this often, as you do with Ferrari, or like you with Red Bull. Max is there, and you have the other driver a lot.

“Just the fact that we have two good drivers is to make the biggest difference frankly because in some cases, I don’t think we have the fastest car, whether it is the enemy in China, the qualifiers or the race, but the fact that we have good drivers who only pay each other happening more difference than people expect.”

McLaren and Aston Martin were the only Al -Furqan to keep the drivers’ squad from 2024 to this season as half of the network changed.

Norris believes that the driver takes time to adapt to a new team, including Hamilton, gives McLaren an advantage.

“The Ferrari One is the side of experience in F1 because we lack this section. [We] You just have two drivers who understand the team, who were on the team for a long time, “added when he was asked to clarify more of his comments.

“Lewis is a new in Ferrari. Publicly says he is still learning how to use the steering wheel. Will he be able to get every part of it out of the car, compared to what I can and Oscar? No, he publicly admits that.

“So, I don’t think I am much better than Lewis or Charles, because I do not do, and I was always the first to admit it. I will not put myself on any rule ever.

“But how do we work as one team, I think it is better than any other team. How do we pay each other and get more of us as drivers, I also agree that we are better than any other team, so I think this is our interest.”

Norris: I am more ready this year to get the title

Norris is eight points before Versaben after two events, nine points against George Russell and 10 points from his teammate.

The 25 -year -old has stated that McLaren was not ready to win the title of drivers last season, but they believed this year “different” because Verstapen did not build early progress in the tournament.

“Just being in the situation I was last year, in this consistent deficit from 40 to 50 points, 60 points, all of which were lost in the beginning, is very difficult to return from that,” he said.

“Although in certain races, we had the best car and Max was struggling, but he had never had a bad result.

“Once they have a few struggles, as we sometimes had in the past year, to what extent makes you worse, everything is relative only in certain ways.

“I don’t think we have improved the car a lot and now we have the best car, but I also think between Oscars and myself, we have improved our driving a lot.

“I also feel more prepared for any situation, whether it is racing against MAX, OSCAR, Lewis, or Charles. I feel more willing to know the level I should be, whether it is at a risky or risky level, there are completely different cases throughout the way, but I feel more willing for this year.”

PIASSTRI does not look at the championship ranking

After rotating in the Australian Grand Prix for the season, PiaSSTRI returned 13 points in China in China to train NORRIS by only 10 points this week.

PiaSSTRI says he was not worried about the loss of many points in the first race.

“You never want to give any advantage, whether it is time or points in the lap. You never want to abandon it if you don’t have it. Of course, I want to try to reversed this gap that we have,” he said.

“But with 22 races, it will be a very stressful year if you are worried about this gap. For me, it is just trying to make sure every weekend is to implement what I can.

Versappen won the races last year, where it seemed that Red Bull did not have the fastest car, which PiaSSTRI would be the key in the battle of this season for McLaren.

“The first six races are no less important than the last six. But it is clear that the last six six gets a much better picture than where everyone sits and things like that.”

“I got a lot of championships myself as you look at the gaps and where I lost points and things like that. You generally don’t really look at the place they came in the year. You only look at the fact that you have points that you lost during the season at some point, so it does not revolve around it when that happens.

“I think that even in this position later in the year, you are always trying to increase what you got at the end of each week. As much as we say that” Max won the championship at the beginning of last season, “he also commented in the end and did not really lose any points against Lando, or anyone at the end of the season when he did not have the strongest car. So, I think this type of weekend is where you increase the performance of this matter, so everything is about it.”

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Friday, April 4

• 3 in the morning: Japanese GP exercise is one (the session begins at 3:30 am)*
• 5.30 am: The press conference of the team managers
• 6.45 in the morning: Japanese GP practice two (the session begins at 7 am)*
• 8.15 am: F1 show*

Saturday, April 5

• 3.15 in the morning: Japanese GP practice Three (the session begins at 3:30 am)*
• 6 in the morning: Japanese GP qualification accumulated*
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• 9 in the morning: TED booklet*

Sunday, April 6

• 4.30 AM: Japanese GP accumulation: Grand Prix Sunday*
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• 8 in the morning: Japanese GP reaction: fluctuating flag*
• 9 in the morning: Ted Book*

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