Credits: IMAGO Motorsport Images

The start to the 2024 Japanese GP weekend has been chaotic. The first free practice session was affected because of a red flag following Logan Sargeant’s massive crash. Meanwhile, teams were barely able to gather any data during FP2 as well because of rain. Teams, as a result, did not gather enough data, but Lando Norris already believes that McLaren do not have the pace to fight the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull.

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As quoted by f1maximaal.nl, Norris told F1TV, “I think we are very close to Aston Martin and Mercedes. They (Ferrari and Red Bull) are still ahead of us, but our car is performing in the right window and we keep trying things. However, it is now clear that we lack downforce and need a well-balanced car in the slow corners“.

The Briton added that there is a possibility that McLaren can improve in these areas of concern. However, he cautioned that doing so will result in the team losing out in other aspects.

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Although the 24-year-old does not believe that McLaren can fight the Ferraris and Red Bulls, he is still happy with the progress his side has been making. Norris believes that they are currently in a good position and will be able to provide a tough fight to Aston Martin and Mercedes in the midfield battle.

Similarly to Norris, Oscar Piastri hailed McLaren for their recent improvement. The Australian made his remarks after topping the time charts in a rain-affected FP2.

Oscar Piastri agrees with Lando Norris’ assessment

Although Piastri does not believe that McLaren were able to gather enough data due to the way the first two free practice sessions panned out, he is happy with his team’s current position. The Melbourne-born driver believes that McLaren has a “competitive car“.

However, in his interview with F1TV, he did admit that McLaren may not be able to match the kind of strong pace they had in Australia. The Albert Park circuit favored McLaren’s strengths as it has several high-speed corners. Suzuka too has high-speed corners, but not as many as Melbourne (per Autosport).

However, there are more than enough high-speed corners for McLaren to have an advantage over the likes of Mercedes, who usually struggle in this area.

While McLaren are likely to have an exciting battle with Mercedes for the midfield spots, they are unlikely to have the pace to match the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull. After the first three races of the 2024 season, there is more than enough evidence that both Ferrari and Red Bull have a clear advantage in pace when compared to the rest of the grid.