As the silly season of the 2023 Formula 1 season starts peaking, driver changes and swaps abound. While the core F1 grid doesn’t seem to be shuffled around as much, in the background a lot has been happening. McLaren for one have been dealt with the shorter end of the stick as IndyCar ace Alex Palou ditched them for Chip Ganassi. But don’t count the Woking-based team out just yet as they aspire to be giant slayers!

During the entirety of the 2023 Formula 1 season, Red Bull has been a thorn in the side of every team. The Bulls have been robotically dominant and have left the rest of the grid with virtually no chance to trump them with their elite combination of Max Verstappen and the RB19.

McLaren put Red Bull to shame as they lure the race-winner away

Red Bull has been relentlessly trying to get Lando Norris to ditch McLaren for Milton-Keynes. However, as a befitting response, McLaren might have just poached their biggest asset. That’s right, Ryo Hirakawa, who’s the “youngest ever to win the JAF West Japan F4 series championship, and the All-Japan F3 Championship in 2012,” and a Red Bull driver has now shifted allegiances.

Reports have confirmed that, “McLaren racing have announced Ryo Hirakawa, the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, as an #F1 reserve driver as part of its Driver Development programme.”

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Winning against the Bulls off the track, Zak Brown still knows when it’s time to swallow the bitter pill of truth.

Suzuka Turns Into a Battleground With Charles Leclerc Aiming to Hunt Down Lewis Hamilton

Brown admits defeat to Max Verstappen and Co. 

The Singapore GP, last weekend, was just a blip in the near-perfect 2023 season for Red Bull. McLaren CEO, Zak Brown realizes this as Max Verstappen was once again dominant during both the Free Practice sessions at the Japanese GP. 

He was quoted as saying by GPBlog.com, “I would imagine given Red Bull’s dominance, they turned off their development quicker than others to focus on next year’s car. So that’s a bit scary what might be coming. The rest of us are continuing to chase, but the rules are pretty stable. So I think everything that we’re learning now will apply to next year’s car.” 

Can McLaren and Lando Norris bag yet another podium at the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix?

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