On a track where overtaking is quite difficult, Lando Norris had one chance to pass Max Verstappen after the start: during the pit stops. But McLaren decided to bring in the Brit at the same time as Verstappen.

Lando Norris' friend slams McLaren for their poor decision after they did not swap their drivers around to try and beat Max Verstappen

Instead, when the Dutchman reacted on the following lap, Norris followed him in, and despite a small mistake from the Red Bull pit crew, Verstappen retained the lead. From there, the 27-year-old kept his title rival outside of DRS range until the finish, sealing his first win of the campaign and moving one point behind the championship leader.

Lando Norris believes McLaren could have tried something different with its strategy in the Japanese Grand Prix, but his teammate Oscar Piastri did not complain at the lack of a switch of drivers

McLaren’s Lando Norris has labelled his pit lane incident with Max Verstappen as just “racing” after the 2025 Formula 1

Lando Norris says he did not need a reminder of Max Verstappen’s quality after the four-time world champion upset the odds to win the Japanese Grand Prix. McLaren had won the opening two races of the season – one each for Norris and Oscar Piastri – and were fastest in every session at Suzuka until the final seconds of qualifying.

Verstappen wins the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix & McLaren misses out. Rookies Antonelli, Hadjar, Bearman shine & Sauber, Stroll struggle.

The four-time defending Formula 1 champion scored his first victory of the season to pull within one point of Lando Norris for the championship lead.

Lando Norris has opened up on the close encounter with Max Verstappen when he tried overtaking him at the exit of the pit lane.

Red Bull ended McLaren's winning streak as Max Verstappen held off Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to win at Suzuka, but it remains to be seen whether it was a performance they can repeat

McLaren boss Andrea Stella reiterated that team interests would trump those of individual drivers this season after Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finished second and third behind Max Verstappen at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday.

On the buildup to the F1 Japanese Grand Prix, Lando Norris looks to the race with uncertainty, as he relies on McLaren's strengths to fight a 'hard to pass' Max Verstappen for the win. "It's a tricky one.