Max Verstappen will be terrified by what McLaren insiders are now saying about the Japanese Grand Prix

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Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen is aiming to become the second driver in Formula 1 history to win five championships on the bounce.

Michael Schumacher is the only driver to have achieved this feat, between 2000 and 2004, with Max Verstappen denying Lewis Hamilton that accolade on the final lap of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Verstappen has nearly led the drivers’ championship ever since, although Lando Norris has ended his long spell at the top of the standings this season.

McLaren leapfrogged Red Bull halfway through last year, and Zak Brown’s team have taken another step forward over the winter.

Norris won a thrilling race in Australia before Oscar Piastri dominated from start to finish at the Chinese Grand Prix.

The Dutchman is only eight points behind Norris right now, but Verstappen has made it clear how hard this year’s Red Bull car is to drive, making his task even more tricky.

Norris hasn’t been overly positive about the MCL39, but noises coming out of the team suggest that Verstappen may have his work cut out at the Japanese Grand Prix.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s life outside F1 from height to girlfriend

McLaren insiders think they’ll be even faster at the Japanese Grand Prix than in China

Sky Sports F1 journalist and broadcaster Natalie Pinkham was a guest on the latest episode of the F1 Nation Podcast.

She was discussing McLaren’s performance at the start of the season and explained: “For Oscar to bounce back after the massive disappointment from Australia, I mean, he didn’t do much wrong in Australia.

“He had that off that ultimately put paid to his race and drops him down to ninth, but actually throughout the rest of the weekend, he was very strong.

“And it was so important for Oscar to come back with a really strong showing in China.

“I don’t know why but Lando always seemed on the back foot in China, that could well swing back in Japan.

“Talking to insiders at McLaren, they think they’re going to be very strong in Japan, even stronger than they were in China.

“Whether it was a tactic, or whether maybe Lando just wears his heart on his sleeve a bit too much. I’m not sure what his motivation was to do and say that publicly, but you’re right. People buy into it, don’t they?

“If you say things aren’t going well for me, they buy into it, and then it’s like a self-fulfilling prophecy. But I think it’s sometimes better to be on the front foot with these things.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

Lando Norris faces a bigger threat from Oscar Piastri than Max Verstappen this season

Verstappen has won the last three races in Japan, highlighted how well suited Red Bull’s cars typically are to the fast, sweeping corners that make Suzuka such an exciting track.

McLaren last won the race in 2011 when Jenson Button beat Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel, but Norris and Piastri will be hoping to end that wait on Sunday.

Piastri is quietly confident about his chances against Norris and was a step ahead of his more experienced teammate in Shanghai.

The last thing Verstappen will want to hear is that people within McLaren think that this circuit will suit them better than the previous two races where he’s barely been able to put either driver under pressure.

Red Bull have to find a solution in the next five races to give Verstappen any chance of winning the title, according to Helmut Marko.

It’ll be interesting to see whether they can produce the same turnaround that McLaren did at last year’s Miami Grand Prix.