The glory days of McLaren are so far away that one has to go back to the last century to find its final consecration in the designers. Far away, in 1998, the team from Woking won their eighth and last team title. However, he remained in the spotlight until 2012 with triumphs and even a drivers’ title (Lewis Hamilton in 2008). He then joined the team in which a certain Ayrton Senna shone, among so many famous names that passed through the team a cone of shadows that he could not leave. They changed engine suppliers, suffered the Honda fiasco, went to Renault, returned to Mercedes… Nothing changed course and they even became the second-to-last team in Formula 1. But they never gave up and the first fruits showed themselves in This year a very young pair of drivers: Lando Norris (already in his fifth season, all with McLaren) and Oscar Piastri, in his debut year. And Japan’s double podium was a clear example of progress.
“It was another incredible day for us…Secondly and thirdly, you couldn’t ask for more. “We did a great job, the start was very good, I was almost able to overtake Max, but Max is Max, so I had no chance later in the second corner,” said Norris, who added his tenth podium place in Formula 1 Fifth in second place. “The pace was good compared to the rest… and we are not close to Verstappen, but not too far behind,” concluded the Englishman, who still hopes to achieve first place this year can be grasped.
With Piastri’s third place, McLaren added its 499th podium finish in history and again had two representatives at the awards ceremony after two years (since Italy 2021). For the Australian it is his best result in the World Cup. “I can’t thank the team enough for giving me this opportunity that not many people get in their lives, and I had it in my first season.” It wasn’t my best race, but it was enough to secure a trophy. “I found my rhythm in the second half of the season, so I’m very happy and looking forward to more,” said the Australian.
Zak Brown, director of McLaren, undoubtedly left Japan happy. Fourth place among the designers is a very real opportunity. The team is currently in fifth place, 49 points behind Aston Martin. But the numbers are encouraging for the Papayas: in their last three games, the Green team have scored just six points, compared to 61 for the Woking outfit. But Brown also left with one certainty: sooner than later he will have to intervene in a sporting battle between his students, which already had a chapter at Suzuka when Norris pleaded on the radio for Piastri to let him pass. The Australian fought back with all his might. “Certainly there will be difficult moments in the future, but we are making progress step by step and it is our first podium place together, so it is a good moment,” minimized Norris. This story will continue.
