Lando Norris jokingly admits that the only way to beat Max Verstappen at Suzuka is recreating the infamous 1990 Senna-Prost clash

Oscar Piastri aims to replicate the challenge McLaren posed at the start of the 2023 British Grand Prix.

Lando Norris jokingly admits that the only way to beat Max Verstappen at Suzuka is recreating the infamous 1990 Senna-Prost clash

Lando Norris and Max Verstappen (Via IMAGO)

McLaren had an impressive qualifying on Saturday at Suzuka ahead of the Japanese GP. Rookie Oscar Piastri finished the session as the second-best driver behind pole position winner Max Verstappen. Lando Norris secured the third spot in the front row. In light of Verstappen’s impressive pace during qualifying, Norris humorously suggested that McLaren could beat Red Bull if they recreate Ayrton Senna’s crash with Alain Prost at Suzuka.

The incident Lando Norris referred to took place in 1990 at the iconic track. F1 legends Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost crashed out of the race, which ultimately gifted the former the victory. Senna, who was driving for McLaren, started the race behind Prost. The four-time world champion refused to give the inside line to the Brazilian, resulting in a collision at the first corner.

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Lando Norris also acknowledged that they recognize that their race pace is decent, although it may not match Red Bull’s, the team will give their best. “We’re going to try [to beat Verstappen], but if he’s leading by Turn 2, there’s not a lot you can really do……If you want to emulate Senna [‘s move on Prost], Oscar, into Turn 1 and do that happily, it would be lovely for me! We’ll try, I think our race pace is decent, it’s definitely not going to be as good as the Red Bull, but we’ll do our best,” said Norris, as reported by motorsports.com

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Discover: Lando Norris vows to make ‘life difficult’ for Max Verstappen’s Red Bull at the Japanese GP

Oscar Piastri stated that McLaren aims to replicate the British GP

Oscar Piastri’s debut season has been exceptional, as he showcased his potential by consistently competing against more experienced drivers. Piastri secured P2 at the qualifying session 0.035s ahead of his teammate Lando Norris.

Mclaren's MCL60 (via :japan posts english)
Mclaren’s MCL60 (Via: japan posts English)

Acknowledging today’s performance at Suzuka, Piastri stated that McLaren’s goal is to offer a similar challenge at the start as they did at the British Grand Prix. During that race, Norris took the lead in the first corner and led for a few laps but noted that repeating this might be more challenging this time.

“I mean, we tried our best in Silverstone so we’ll try and do the same thing, but obviously it’s going to be difficult. I think it’s going to be a very difficult race tomorrow as well, very different to Silverstone in that regard. It could be a lot more open,” concluded Oscar Piastri.

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