McLaren had a strong qualifying session for the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday at Suzuka, although both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris knew going in that snatching pole position from Max Verstappen would be a very tall order.
The Red Bull ended up half a second clear of both McLarens as well as the rest of the field, but Piastri was nonetheless able to celebrate being the first rookie to claim a front row spot since Lance Stroll in 2017.
"The first lap was pretty solid, I was quite happy with it,” Piastri said. "The last chicane I could have done a better job, but it was a good lap. And then the second lap, my first sector was good and the next two sectors not so good.
“Happy to end it in P2, it’s been a really good weekend for the team so far. We’ve got upgrades on the car, and they are quick," he added. "Happy to be second, and for the team to be second and third – very, very happy.”
"First time I’ve started on the front row for a while," referring back to his last time in the top spot in the 2021 Formula 2 race at Abu Dhabi. "It will be cool, there’s only one car ahead to overtake so I’ll try and make that happen.”
It's not the first time he's had the opportunity to attack the championship leader in a race. He had also battled with Verstappen over P2 on the first lap of the British Grand Prix after Norris snatched an early lead.
"We tried our best in Silverstone so we'll try and do the same thing, but obviously it's going to be difficult," he noted. "It's going to be a very difficult race tomorrow, very different to Silverstone in that regard. It could be a lot more open."
Norris himself scored his fifth top three start of the year. The last time McLaren started from second and third in Suzuka was in 2011 with Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton and Button went on to win the race.
Piastri will be hoping that's an accurate sign and portent for tomorrow, but the huge advantage held by Verstappen this weekend after his strange slump in Singapore means that something remarkable will be needed at lights out.
“Max is doing a very good job," Norris agreed. "Red Bull is doing a very good job. We will do our best to make their life difficult and have a good race tomorrow.
"We're going to try, but if [Max] is leading by turn 2, there's not a lot you can really do," he conceded. "I think our race pace is decent but it's definitely not going to be as good as the Red Bull. We'll do our best.
"It was a good day for us to be P2 and P3. I was pretty happy with my laps," he said. "[It's tricky], not an easy circuit to put everything together. It’s so quick around here, the smallest mistake can make a big amount of lap time.
"I’m happy, it’s a good day and good positions for tomorrow," he said. “Some of the most amazing McLaren stories come here in Japan. We want to continue that tradition, but it’s going to be difficult."
Norris had a specific historic incident at mind: the notorious collision between McLaren's Ayrton Senna and Ferrari rival Alain Prost at the start of the 1990 Japan race which put both men out of the race but helped Senna clinch the title.
"If you want to emulate Senna, Oscar, into turn 1 and do that happily, it would be lovely for me!" sniggered Norris, delighted at the thought of both cars ahead crashing out leaving him to win the race.
In reality, Norris is keenly aware that the biggest challenge is going to come from the cars starting immediately behind him on the grid, including Charles Leclerc, Sergio Perez, Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton.
"From the knowledge of our general pace and competitor pace, Mercedes are always very strong on a Sunday. But I think we've been strong all weekend from quali runs and also high fuel runs.
"We're hoping for probably an easy race," he added. "But it's never going to be an easy race around here! Just with undercut power and things like that, I'm sure there's going to be a lot going on."
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
