Lando Norris expressed his sheer surprise when told that George Russell believes that he could be a favorite for the Japanese GP. The McLaren driver claimed that his British counterpart has not seen the season so far and has passed such remarks as a result.
The Woking-based outfit have so far had a mixed season. Their campaign began in a disastrous fashion as both Norris and Oscar Piastri struggled to get into the points. However, their results have improved significantly since Austria this year. Norris has clinched three podiums since then, including the one at his last race in Singapore.
While Piastri has been mightily impressive, he has not finished on the podium yet. Hence, since McLaren have had such a resurgence in form, Russell believed that Norris could be among the favorites to win the race this weekend. However, the 23-year-old simply laughed off Russell’s claims.
Lando Norris unsure if George Russell has watched the races in 2023
An interviewer asked Lando Norris for his response after Goerge Russell tipped the 23-year-old as one of the favorites for the Japanese Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver said (as quoted by crash.net), “Lando’s potentially one of the favorites for this weekend with their high-speed performance in the McLaren. But all the question marks are on Red Bull“.
Norris expressed his sheer surprise when told about Russell’s comments as he said, “Has he seen the rest of the season at all? Has he been watching the races“? The McLaren driver, indeed, has done a decent job so far this weekend as he qualified third on the grid.
“George has tipped you as a favourite for this weekend…”
Lando: “Has he seen the rest of the season?! Has been watching the races”🤣😭#F1 #Formula1 #McLaren #JapaneseGP
— McLaren F1 News 🏴🇦🇺 (@TheMcLarenZone) September 22, 2023
Norris qualified just behind McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri and pole-sitter Max Verstappen. With the Dutchman returning to form, Norris has tipped him as the favorite to win the Japanese GP this weekend.
Norris believes Verstappen is the favorite to win the Japanese GP
During his post-qualifying interview (as quoted by si.com), Lando Norris tipped Max Verstappen as the favorite to win the Japanese GP after the Dutchman was a whopping 0.5 seconds quicker than second-placed Oscar Piastri. The Briton stated that he was very happy to see McLaren register a second and third place in qualifying as Verstappen is in another league.
The 23-year-old then complimented Red Bull for the fantastic job that they have done this season. Norris stated that the Milton Keynes outfit have done a terrific job all season and that he will try his best to fight Verstappen for the victory on Sunday.
