Motorsport Week
  • Formula 1
    • 2025 Formula 1 Calendar
    • 2025 Formula 1 Standings
  • Formula E
    • 2025 Formula E Calendar
    • 2025 Formula E Standings
  • IndyCar
    • 2025 IndyCar Calendar
    • 2025 IndyCar Standings
  • WRC
    • 2025 WRC Standings
    • 2025 WRC Calendar
  • MotoGP
    • 2025 MotoGP Calendar
    • 2025 MotoGP Standings
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
  • WEC
    • 2025 WEC Calendar
  • IMSA
    • 2025 IMSA Calendar
  • World SBK
  • More
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • F1 Academy
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
    • World Superbikes
    • Technical Insight
    • Galleries
    • About/Contact
    • Privacy Policy
No Result
View All Result
  • Formula 1
    • 2025 Formula 1 Calendar
    • 2025 Formula 1 Standings
  • Formula E
    • 2025 Formula E Calendar
    • 2025 Formula E Standings
  • IndyCar
    • 2025 IndyCar Calendar
    • 2025 IndyCar Standings
  • WRC
    • 2025 WRC Standings
    • 2025 WRC Calendar
  • MotoGP
    • 2025 MotoGP Calendar
    • 2025 MotoGP Standings
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
  • WEC
    • 2025 WEC Calendar
  • IMSA
    • 2025 IMSA Calendar
  • World SBK
  • More
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • F1 Academy
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
    • World Superbikes
    • Technical Insight
    • Galleries
    • About/Contact
    • Privacy Policy
No Result
View All Result
Motorsport Week
Home Single Seater Formula 1

McLaren: Deficit to Red Bull in Japan qualifying shows work ahead

by Taylor Powling
2 years ago
A A
0
McLaren: Deficit to Red Bull in Japan qualifying shows work ahead

Qualifying top three in parc ferme (L to R): Oscar Piastri (AUS) McLaren, second; Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing, pole position; Lando Norris (GBR) McLaren, third. 23.09.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 17, Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka, Japan, Qualifying Day.

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella asserts Max Verstappen’s qualifying advantage in Japan showcases the challenge the side has ahead to catch Red Bull.

McLaren began the year on the backfoot after admitting it had missed vital development targets with its MCL60 but has rebounded since building on a revised car introduced at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Further new parts in Singapore enabled Lando Norris to return to the podium, with the Woking squad anticipating a stronger run still at the high-speed Suzuka circuit.

While McLaren fended off the threat from Ferrari and Mercedes to secure second and third for Sunday’s race, the papaya team wound up six-tenths shy of Verstappen.

RelatedPosts

Racing Bulls has released a new livery for the British GP

Racing Bulls showcases special livery for F1 British GP

3 hours ago
Lewis Hamilton converged closer to Charles Leclerc's set-up at Ferrari in Austria

How converging on Charles Leclerc’s set-up has aided Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari

8 hours ago

The reigning World Champion comfortably topped all three practice sessions in Japan before thrashing the competition in qualifying to take an emphatic pole.

Stella professed the enormity of Red Bull’s single-lap advantage had put into perspective the progress McLaren must make to compete with the Austrian outfit.

“We expected to be more competitive than Singapore,” Stella relayed on Saturday.

“We were unsure as to whether this would have put us as second best team, or whether Mercedes and Ferrari would have been there with us.

“We were pretty certain that Red Bull would have been the quickest car here, considering the track layout.

“If you look at the overlays, Verstappen gains in every kind of speed range, so it’s quite remarkable. It gives us again the measure about how much work we have ahead of us.”

Oscar Piastri (AUS) McLaren MCL60. 23.09.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 17, Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka, Japan, Qualifying Day.

Stella conceded that he had expected McLaren to end up slightly closer in qualifying to Red Bull, arguing that the colossal deficit has somewhat humbled the team.

“In fairness, I would have expected to be a little closer,” he admitted. “We are P2, P3, it’s a good result for the team, but six-tenths is a significant amount of work that we still have to do.

“In a way it puts us with the feet back on the ground, not that we have ever taken off at all, but quantitatively there’s a lot of aerodynamic performance that we need to add on the car still.”

Despite Norris expressing that McLaren had improved its slow-speed cornering performance in Singapore, Stella contends Suzuka’s slower-speed sections demonstrated it remains a weak area.

“Both corners are poor. And we see in the GPS overlays we lose time compared to compared to many direct competitors,” he explained.

“We lose time through the mechanisms that we know we have to improve, so there was no positive surprise.”

Although Stella anticipated the team being “in competition with Ferrari and Mercedes”, both McLaren cars converted their promising starting berths to score the team’s first double podium in two years.

Norris scooped his fourth second-place finish of the campaign, while Oscar Piastri achieved his maiden podium by coming home third behind his team-mate.

Tags: F1JapaneseGPMcLarenRedBullStella
Share198Tweet124Share

Related Posts

Racing Bulls has released a new livery for the British GP
Formula 1

Racing Bulls showcases special livery for F1 British GP

3 hours ago
Lewis Hamilton converged closer to Charles Leclerc's set-up at Ferrari in Austria
Formula 1

How converging on Charles Leclerc’s set-up has aided Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari

8 hours ago
Lando Norris converted pole position to win the 2025 F1 Austrian GP
Feature

Motorsport Week’s F1 2025 Austrian GP Driver Ratings

9 hours ago
Load More

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Upcoming Races

#EventDate
11Austrian GP27-29 June
12British GP04-06 July
13Belgian GP25-27 July
14Hungarian GP01-03 August
15Dutch GP29-31 August

Click here for the full 2025 F1 calendar

Drivers’  Standings

#DriverPts
Oscar Piastri216
Lando Norris201
Max Verstappen155
George Russell146
Charles Leclerc120
Lewis Hamilton91
Andrea Kimi Antonelli63
Alexander Albon42
Isack Hadjar28
Esteban Ocon23

Click here for full Drivers’ Standings

Latest Articles

Racing Bulls has released a new livery for the British GP
Formula 1

Racing Bulls showcases special livery for F1 British GP

July 1, 2025
Lewis Hamilton converged closer to Charles Leclerc's set-up at Ferrari in Austria
Formula 1

How converging on Charles Leclerc’s set-up has aided Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari

July 1, 2025
Lando Norris converted pole position to win the 2025 F1 Austrian GP
Feature

Motorsport Week’s F1 2025 Austrian GP Driver Ratings

July 1, 2025

Follow Motorsport Week

Join our daily motorsport newsletter

* indicates required

Motorsport Week

© 2024 Motorsport Media Services Ltd

Other Links

  • About & Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Motorsport Monday

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • Sign Up
  • Home
  • Formula 1
    • Latest News
    • 2025 F1 Calendar
    • 2025 F1 Championship Standings
  • Formula E
    • Latest News
    • 2025 FE Calendar
    • 2025 FE Championship Standings
  • MotoGP
    • Latest News
    • 2025 MotoGP Calendar
    • 2025 MotoGP Standings
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
    • World Superbikes
  • WRC
    • Latest News
    • 2025 WRC Calendar
    • 2025 WRC Standings
  • IndyCar
    • Latest News
    • 2025 IndyCar Calendar
    • 2025 IndyCar Standings
  • WEC
    • Latest News
    • 2025 WEC Calendar
  • Live Updates
  • Other
    • IMSA
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • F1 Academy
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
    • World Superbikes
  • Galleries
  • About/Contact
  • Privacy Policy

© 2024 Motorsport Media Services Ltd