Norris admits playing catch-up after Piastri outqualifies him at Suzuka
Summary
Lando Norris says a lack of track time due to car problems put him on the back foot at Suzuka, where he qualified behind teammate Oscar Piastri. He emphasized that understanding the new 2026 cars makes practice sessions more critical than ever, costing him valuable setup and systems knowledge ahead of qualifying.
Lando Norris conceded he has been "playing catch-up" all weekend at the Japanese Grand Prix after being outqualified by McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, attributing part of the deficit to limited practice running under Formula 1's new 2026 technical regulations. The reigning world champion will start fifth, six-tenths behind polesitter Kimi Antonelli and four-tenths adrift of third-placed Piastri, following a weekend hampered by reliability issues on his car.
Original Article :https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/lando-norris-in-catch-up-mode-at-f1-japanese-...