By Joe Murphy
Lando Norris has acknowledged that McLaren must adopt a more aggressive approach in certain situations following their near miss against Max Verstappen at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Norris shadowed Verstappen for all 53 laps of last Sunday’s race at Suzuka, including during the pit-stop phase where both leaders pitted on the same lap — a rare occurrence in Formula 1.
The McLaren driver admitted that had he opted for an earlier pit stop to try and undercut Verstappen, he would likely have emerged from the pits behind traffic, potentially costing him the opportunity to secure a second win of the season.
“Would I have been willing to take the risk of rejoining behind more cars in the hope of winning? Yes,” said Norris, who finished ahead of McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.
“Ultimately, we finished second and third, which is a strong result for the team. We gained valuable points for the constructors’ championship, and I secured a good result as a driver. However, I did lose out to Max, and he remains my main competitor. We have reviewed the weekend thoroughly.”
While second and third place represented solid outcomes, Norris suggested that McLaren could have taken more risks to improve their position.
“Second and third is a good result, but there’s always the question of whether it could have been better. Could we have been more proactive and taken greater risks as a team? Yes,” he explained.
“After reviewing the weekend, I stand by the strategy we employed, but we concluded that, at times, we need to adopt a more assertive approach.”
McLaren’s struggles with race strategy were evident last season, particularly in Montreal, Silverstone, and São Paulo, where missed opportunities and strategic errors allowed Verstappen to pass Norris and claim victory. Suzuka served as another reminder that McLaren must refine their tactical decision-making, particularly in close battles with Red Bull and Verstappen.
Heading into this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, Norris, who holds a narrow one-point lead over Verstappen in the championship standings, indicated that he might be more vocal in demanding a more aggressive strategy during races.
“There may be moments when I push harder for a more daring strategy in pursuit of the win, even though success isn’t guaranteed,” Norris noted.
“There are risks involved — I could end up stuck in traffic, or another driver could undercut or overcut me, and the gamble might not pay off. I need to be prepared for that outcome.”
Despite his desire to win, Norris stressed the importance of securing consistent points over the course of the season.
“Second place isn’t a bad result, but my goal is to win races,” he said. “In hindsight, I would have liked to take a more aggressive approach, but I understand that it’s a long season, and sometimes securing points is more prudent than taking unnecessary risks.”
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