00:08Japan is a happy hunting ground for McLaren with nine victories for the most outright in the land
00:14of the rising sun. Two at Fuji, seven at Suzuka. But while 2026 didn't net the milestone 10th,
00:23it did mark a return to form and fortune for the Papaya squad.
00:30Following a series of MGU-K related issues, which forced Oscar Piastri to crash in Australia
00:36en route to the grid, caused a double DNS in China and affected Lando Norris' practice running in Japan.
00:45At Suzuka, a resurgent Piastri came home in second place, his shot at the wind destroyed by the safety
00:51car. Norris was fifth. And presenter Lawrence Barreto told official podcast F1 Nation,
00:59the long break to Miami will be an important chance for McLaren to fly higher with upgrades,
01:04which the team has used to great effect in the past.
01:10I think McLaren have an underdeveloped chassis. So I think they realized very late on last year
01:15that maybe the methodologies that they were using weren't quite right. And that's kind of just meant
01:19that they've turned up with an ultra baseline car that they need to add performance to. So
01:24actually, we just need to wait for the McLaren of old.
01:31Regardless, McLaren's F1 season so far is a long way from its 2025 best,
01:36when under vastly different regulations, it was considered favorite right from the outset,
01:41with a stable platform and driver lineup that was gunning to get out front and fight for the title.
01:49Yeah, I'm super excited for what we've got in store. Obviously, last year was a great result for
01:54the whole team and for both of us as drivers, but we want to take that next step up and
01:58fight from
01:59the beginning. It's now time to get the most from the new regulations and take the fight to the
02:04works team and its power unit partner, Mercedes. Haas boss Ayo Komatsu says that the squad's
02:20eponymous owner, Gene Haas, is more committed than ever to his American outfit. Shutting down
02:25torque, he may be considering selling to title sponsor Toyota.
02:31But there's no doubt that Haas, which buys everything from Ferrari that it doesn't have
02:36to make, is taking on more of a Japanese flavor, including monster news on its most recent visit
02:42to Tokyo. With its drivers Esteban Ocon and Oliver Behrman revealing a special Godzilla livery,
02:49thanks to a new season-long partnership with Japanese entertainment firm Toho to promote
02:54upcoming film Godzilla minus zero. It's a special week, obviously, for us unveiling,
03:01you know, delivery of our new car. I'm very happy to have this work.
03:06It's a pleasure to be back here in Japan. It's my third trip to Japan.
03:13Godzilla, though, pales in comparison to real Japanese behemoth Toyota, Haas' title sponsor,
03:19with whom it's signed a technical partnership to share knowledge, expertise and resources.
03:28Toyota's most visible contribution has been a testing of previous cars or TPC program,
03:33including one for its ex-foundation driver, Roman Grosjean, at Italian track Mugello.
03:41Or famously, at Japan's Fuji Speedway, with Haas reserve Rio Hirokawa and Super Formula's
03:47short Suboe for his first taste of a Grand Prix car.
03:53Suboe was supported in the Fuji Garage by F1 veteran Kamui Kobayashi,
03:58who has tested Haas' cars, including at France's Circuit Paul Ricard.
04:04The Fuji test was also a chance for the Japanese to celebrate Haas boss Ayo Komatsu,
04:09with a long line for autographs when there wasn't running.
04:13But Haas' Toyota collaboration goes further than that,
04:17with development and manufacturing opportunities at its Cologne Motorsport base
04:21that once formed the heart of its Works F1 program.
04:27The sky is the limit for Haas, but it's taking things one day at a time.
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