The likes of Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris have all been speaking to reporters on media day ahead of this weekend’s action at the Japanese Grand Prix
The Thursday of a race week means media day and there has been plenty to talk about ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix. Of course, we’ve had a driver swap since the last race and so plenty of people have been giving their opinions about that situation.
That includes the two racers involved, Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson, who find themselves wearing different colours to what they would have expected at Suzuka. Let’s not forget, this is only the third round of the new Formula 1 season…
But the fiasco at Red Bull isn’t the only storyline capturing the imagination in the F1 paddock right now. We’ve get plenty to sink our teeth into with Ferrari’s calamitous start to the new season, summed up by both their cars getting disqualified last time out in China, while McLaren look poised to run away with it this term.
On that final point, as you’ll see below, Lando Norris has an interesting theory as to why he thinks his team is already so far ahead of rivals. Mirror Sport rounds up all the key F1 stories.
READ MORE: Christian Horner details decision to axe Liam Lawson after Red Bull left ‘very concerned’READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton admits he made wrong decision as Ferrari F1 woes laid bare
Mad Max
One of those people speaking out on the Red Bull driver situation for the first time in Suzuka was Max Verstappen. Then again, he had already made his stance pretty clear by liking Giedo van der Garde’s Instagram post which accused Red Bull of making a “panic” decision.
Speaking on media day, though, he confirmed that it wasn’t just a slip of the thumb and that he fully intended to show his feelings. “I liked the comment, the text, so I guess that speaks for itself, right? It was not a mistake,” he said, also confirming that he has spoken with the team to let them know how he felt.
Tsunoda’s strict orders
Sticking with Red Bull for a minute, Verstappen’s new team-mate Tsunoda has been speaking about his preparations for his debut with the team in his homeland. And while he will dream of becoming the first Japanese driver to podium in F1 since Kamui Kobayashi at Suzuka in 2012, the 24-year-old admits he’s been told clearly that he is to play second fiddle to the four-time champion.
He said: “They clearly said the main priority is Max, which I completely understand because he’s a four-time World Champion, and so far already [during] the last few races, even in the car’s difficult situation, he’s still performed well. [The expectation is] to be close as much as possible to Max, also help the development as well with my feedback.”
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Ex-Ferrari chief ‘appalled’
Oh what a mess Ferrari find themselves in – 17 points in total from the first two rounds, which included a sprint race, and all the knives are out following their embarrassing double disqualification in Shanghai. That includes from ex-chief Luca di Montezemolo, who has been speaking to former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone about the situation.
After their chat at a party in London, Bernie said: “I met former Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo there and he was appalled by Ferrari’s two disqualifications in China. The Italians had never experienced such a disgrace since the start of the World Championship.”
Hamilton defiant amid rumours
Given that rocky start to life with Ferrari, it has been suggested that Lewis Hamilton might already be ruing his decision to quit Mercedes for the Scuderia – even despite that sprint win. But, when that was posed to him on Thursday, the seven-time champion was adamant that his trust in his new team remains intact.
He said: “I saw something asking whether I was losing faith in the team which is complete rubbish. I have absolute 100 percent faith in this team. There was a lot of hype at the start of the year, whether people were expecting that we would be winning from race one or winning the championship in our first year – that was not my expectation.”
Lando’s dig at rivals
It’s hard to blame Norris for feeling good about his situation. He’s been the bookies favourite for the drivers’ title since before the season even began, won the first race and leads the championship with team-mate Oscar Piastri seemingly the only man on the grid with the tools – specifically, a car quick enough – to challenge him.
The fact both he and Piastri are firing has even prompted Norris to claim: “We literally are the only team that has two good drivers at the minute.” He did, though, go on to say he doesn’t think Hamilton or Charles Leclerc are rubbish by clarifying that he meant the former’s lack of experience with Ferrari machinery is currently hampering his performances.