Norris Scoffs At Verstappen's Worries Ahead Of Sunday Race In Japan

Saturday, 06 April 2024 at 20:00

Lando Norris laughed off worries expressed by Max Verstappen after qualifying ahead of the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix.

Saturday's qualifying for the fourth round of the season at Suzuka Circuit went pretty much as expected. The Japanese track was supposed to suit Red Bull and McLaren the best, and the qualifying results reflected this prediction.

Max Verstappen dominated the whole session, setting the fastest laps in each part from the beginning until the end. He was closely trailed by Sergio Perez, who was only 0.066 seconds behind. Lastly, Lando Norris took third place, almost three-tenths behind the triple World Champion.

Based on the qualifying results, it seemed we could expect a pretty straightforward race, but Verstappen stated he wasn't happy with his car's long-run setup from the FP3 session, suggesting Red Bull could encounter some issues.

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Lando Norris, on the other hand, couldn't help but laugh at this statement as he knows that Verstappen typically complains in practice sessions and then proceeds to destroy all the competition during the race.

"They [Red Bull] complain about their race pace, but I don't think they've had a bad race in the last four, five years! So they're going to be good tomorrow."

In terms of where he expects to finish during the race on Sunday, Norris asserted he feels his car has the pace to help him secure a second consecutive podium after P3 in Australia, but it won't be easy.

"Of course, we've got a lot of pressure from behind, we have to keep an eye on the mirrors. But at the same time, I want to go forward, and we have the pace to stay where we are. That's my goal."