Now, if you’ve been napping this season, you might have missed McLaren’s Cinderella story. Starting with, let’s call them ‘character-building’ scoreless races, they’ve now transformed their MCL60, cruising it to the status of – more or less – the grid’s second-best car, trailing only behind the mighty Red Bull’s RB19. While Lando Norris was a breezy 19 seconds behind the unstoppable Verstappen leading at the Japanese GP, Oscar Piastri kept it cool, finishing a comfy distance ahead of Charles Leclerc to get his first-ever F1 podium.

If there’s one thing Formula 1 fans love, it’s a bit of friendly competition, both on and off the track. Lando Norris, after nailing a stellar P2 finish in Suzuka, had a cheeky message for Red Bull on the team radio. With the taste of champagne still fresh on his lips, Norris beamed, “Nice job guys. Double podium. We’re coming for Red Bull! Thank you to everyone in the factory, and everyone at the track, I love you all. Another one. Let’s keep it rolling.”

Now, before the McLaren garage could even start celebrating their double podium with Norris and Oscar Piastri, Zak Brown, McLaren’s CEO, brought in a gentle reality check. It seems Brown was taking a more tempered approach, echoing a tweet from @JunaidSamodien_: “Zak Brown: We are not going to catch them [Red Bull] this year, but we are chipping away. Max was dominant today. We should be quick again in Qatar.”

While Norris is clearly enjoying the high of the moment (and who can blame him?), Brown’s sobering take might just be what McLaren needs to keep their heads down and continue pushing. After all, the battle with Red Bull is intense, and every point counts.

So, will the Woking-based team be the dark horse catching up with the Bulls, or will Red Bull continue to dominate the season? Only time will tell.

Read More: Zak Brown & Co.’s Blatant Bias for Lando Norris Stands Exposed as Oscar Piastri Falls Victim to Dodgy Tactics

That said, the euphoria at McLaren is palpable, and rightly so. The duo of Norris and Piastri celebrated a memorable double podium at Suzuka. It wasn’t just another race day but a significant milestone for the McLaren team.

Post-race thoughts: With Lando Norris 

Well, wasn’t that something at Suzuka? McLaren’s Norris and newbie Oscar Piastri played the podium duet, securing second and third places respectively. That’s McLaren’s debut double podium for the season, and boy, what a sight!

An ecstatic Norris gushed post-race, “Another amazing day for us. P2 and P3, so we couldn’t have asked for any more. The progress we’ve made is pretty outstanding. I’m sure there’s gonna be some tough times to come. But we’re getting there step by step. And our first double podium together with Oscar. So yeah, a good moment for us.”

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