Here’s How Suzuka Turned off the McLaren Magic

After dominating Australia and China, McLaren was the favourite for this Suzuka weekend. Yet, mistakes and poor strategy calls saw victory slip away and fall into Max Verstappen’s hands.

McLaren Proves Movable at Suzuka: Room for Improvement Despite a 2-3 Finish

We are three rounds into the 2025 F1 season, and McLaren has led both the Drivers and Constructors Championships from the beginning. Naturally, the British team were the favourites heading to Japan, where they were expected to dominate the weekend.

Friday and Saturday: Promising Free Practice Sessions

The weekend began strongly for McLaren in Suzuka.

Throughout each of the free practice sessions on Friday, the Woking team led the way, confirming the season’s first races were not a fluke.

Lando Norris dominated FP1 with a time of 1:28.549, ahead of George Russell and Charles Leclerc.

Elsewhere, Oscar Piastri highlighted where the team could improve, finishing in fifteenth place with a time of 1:29.708.

FP2, however, was much more eventful. Four red flags interrupted the session, including an accident for Jack Doohan and a fire caused by sparks from the single-seaters.

Despite these interruptions, Piastri set the fastest time with a 1:28.114, showing much-needed improvement and feeling for the Suzuka track.

Norris also shone, finishing second ahead of Isack Hadjar.

Overall, the free practice sessions confirmed what many believed: McLaren had a competitive package for the weekend.

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Saturday: Bitter Qualifying for McLaren

During qualifying on Saturday, the competition got closer.

Despite McLaren taking Suzuka by storm, Max Verstappen’s Red Bull clinched pole position at the last moment.

Norris placed second, while Piastri closed in on third. It was all to play for during the race.

Speaking to F1, Norris said:

“I dipped a wheel on the exit of 7, and 7 is the last place you want to make a mistake

“It was just a couple of little mistakes and it shows how easy it is to lose lap time.”

When fighting for either the Drivers or the Constructors’ Championship, mistakes should be few and far between.

McLaren has a lot to work on after leaving Suzuka to ensure they set themselves up for an easy Grand Prix.

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Sunday: A 2-3 Finish

Despite a back-to-back double podium for McLaren in Suzuka, the race highlighted further issues for team to work on.

It’s a back-to-back double podium for team papaya 🏆🏆#McLaren | #JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/HuYi2bcOTz

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) April 6, 2025

While a dominant Max Verstappen ensured that the possibility of a victory for Norris or Piastri vanished, the team let them down also.

Poor strategy calls saw the fight for first place disappear. This is not the first time McLaren has failed on this front.

Piastri showed incredible pace throughout the race, despite his third place start.

When closing in on Norris, the Australian’s team radio suggested that a swap was nearing to allow Piastri to fight Verstappen for the win.

However, when Norris upped his pace, this never took place.

Had McLaren stuck to their plan in Suzuka, perhaps a different podium could have taken place. Instead, Verstappen flew to the finish line, closing the gap to Norris in the driver standings.

Did Suzuka Turn Off the McLaren Magic?

As mentioned above, McLaren was among the favourites this race weekend at Suzuka.

While the Suzuka circuit is quite complex, and it is not easy to keep up with one’s rivals, the team should have done more to ensure the faster driver was ahead.

Trophies take a team behind them 🧡🏆#McLaren | #JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/G67uBGtw3q

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) April 6, 2025

Consequently, it is also important to get pole position to have an advantage.

Max Verstappen surprised everyone this weekend, including McLaren, by taking first place in Japan. Despite the lesser car, the Dutchman can still hold his own against his rivals.

Wth one point separating Norris and Verstappen, McLaren must act now, or lose the Drivers’ Championship for the second year in a row.

READ NEXT: Max Verstappen Dominates Japanese GP, McLaren Left to Reflect on Missed Opportunity

Main Photo

Credit: IMAGO / PsnewZ

Recording Date: 05.04.2025