Lando Norris
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McLaren have registered their first podium of the 2026 Formula 1 season with Oscar Piastri, while teammate Lando Norris was left behind in fifth.
Before the Japanese Grand Prix, the defending champion had scored McLaren’s only race finish of the season with P5 in Australia. Neither MCL40 made it out of the garage in China, suffering separate electrical faults.
But the Woking outfit bounced back at Suzuka, with Piastri qualifying third behind the two Mercedes drivers. Norris was P5, his best qualifying result of the season thus far, and he finished where he started on Sunday.
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The McLarens enjoyed a great start off the line, with Piastri jumping into the lead and Norris moving into third. But the Brit struggled to maintain pace ahead of Mercedes and Ferrari, eventually dropping to P6.
He had a strong battle with Lewis Hamilton before passing his compatriot and into P5. McLaren take home a valuable 28 points in the championship, with Piastri finishing second behind race winner Kimi Antonelli.
McLaren kept Lando Norris ‘on the back foot’ at Suzuka, admits team principal Andrea Stella
It was a good recovery for Norris in Japan after what was a tough start to the weekend. He suffered various issues in practice, which hampered his mileage and preparations.
Norris admitted he was ‘one or two steps’ behind after qualifying, and McLaren team principal Andrea Stella concedes that the No.1 driver was ‘on the back foot’ compared to Piastri over the weekend.
He said via Sky Sports F1 (29/03, 8:24 am) after the race: “Lando, he had a good race. It was good that he was in condition to pass Hamilton at the end. We said yesterday it would be good if we can fight with Ferrari, and we did.
“So, positive from this point of view. I have to say that Lando has been kept a bit on the back foot by the team because we have had several issues in practice. He had limited… I don’t think he had made two continuous laps until the race. So, well done to Lando, important points for the team today.”
READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from parents to celebration
Are McLaren back in the mix after a difficult start to 2026?
McLaren’s first podium of 2026 is a hugely encouraging step forward for the team. They have been lacking the pace of Mercedes and Ferrari out in front.
Norris finished 50 seconds behind George Russell in Australia, while the team did not get onto the track in Shanghai. It was clear that they were miles behind the top two teams, but Suzuka has proven that they are back in the hunt.
McLaren score their first podium of 2026 at the Japanese Grand Prix!
How many will they grab in total this season?
Perhaps they do not have the package to win races just yet, although Antonelli admits he was ‘lucky’ to beat Piastri in Japan because of the safety car caused by Oliver Bearman’s frightening crash.
But the progress is clear to see, and the MCL40 might not be too far away from a race victory in 2026 when racing action returns in May.
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