Max Verstappen narrowly won the Japanese Grand Prix, beating Lando Norris. The Dutchman concluded after the race that his lead would have been much larger if he had been driving the McLaren car. Norris responds to Verstappen’s comments and invites the world champion to find out for himself that the MCL39 is not such a ‘rocket’.
Max Verstappen demonstrated in Japan that he doesn’t always need the best car to win a Grand Prix. The Dutchman drove unchallenged to victory at Suzuka, even though McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finished within three seconds of the race winner. “I’m very happy with what I’ve done,” Verstappen said immediately after the race. “But I don’t even want to think about what I could have done if I had been in that other car (the McLaren). You just wouldn’t have seen me!”
Disappointment
A week later, Verstappen’s comments are presented to Lando Norris. Norris disagrees with Verstappen’s assertion that he is in a much faster car. “He (Verstappen) is more than welcome to test our car whenever he wants,” the McLaren driver tells ESPN. “I look forward to seeing the disappointment on his face when he gets out again.”
Verstappen, in turn, also responds to his earlier conclusion about the MCL39, and stands his ground. “I wasn’t joking,” says the four-time world champion. “I was asked: what would you have done in a different car (in Japan)? I then give an honest answer. But I also immediately said that it’s not going to happen, so speculating is pointless. I just work with my team to improve my own car.”
