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  "path": "/sport/f1/lando-norris-lewis-hamilton-theory-japan-gp",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-20T16:29:45.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "F1 legend 'set to step down' at Aston Martin with 'former Red Bull F1 chief' to step in",
    "Historic karting circuit that launched Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris’s careers could close",
    "Lewis Hamilton leaves flirty comment on Kim Kardashian's picture amid high-profile romance",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nLando Norris has issued a blunt response to Lewis Hamilton's theory that his former team, Mercedes, possesses a hidden qualifying engine setting reminiscent of the infamous \"party mode\" from years past.\n\nThe seven-time world champion pointed to what he perceives as a suspicious performance pattern, with the German manufacturer's cars finding substantial pace gains between the opening and second qualifying segments.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nHowever, speaking ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, the reigning world champion Lando Norris swiftly rejected Hamilton's theory.\n\nThe McLaren driver, whose team uses Mercedes power units, flatly denied any such mode exists and suggested his rival may be overthinking matters.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nSpeaking after the Chinese Grand Prix last weekend, Hamilton drew upon his lengthy tenure with the Silver Arrows to explain his suspicions.\n\nHe said: \"I was with Mercedes for a long, long time, so I know how it works there.\n\n\"In qualifying they have another mode that they're able to go to, a bit like a 'party mode' back in the day, and once they get to Q2 they switch that on, and we don't have that.\"\n\nThe Briton highlighted gaps of roughly a tenth in Q1, ballooning to seven tenths or half a second by Q2.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nHe added: \"It's a big step.\"\n\nNorris, who claimed last year's drivers' championship with McLaren, offered a stark dismissal of Hamilton's theory.\n\n\"We don't have that,\" he declared when asked about the alleged qualifying mode.\n\nPressed on whether Mercedes might retain such a technical advantage over customer teams, the young Briton was equally direct.\n\n### LATEST SPORT NEWS\n\n\n\n\n  * F1 legend 'set to step down' at Aston Martin with 'former Red Bull F1 chief' to step in\n  * Historic karting circuit that launched Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris’s careers could close\n  * Lewis Hamilton leaves flirty comment on Kim Kardashian's picture amid high-profile romance\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nNorris said: \"No. Sometimes when you're a bit off you create things in your head.\"\n\nMercedes have established a commanding presence in qualifying throughout the 2026 campaign.\n\nThe works team has measured performance in early sessions before unleashing significant speed when the stakes rise.\n\nThis pattern echoes an era Hamilton knows intimately from his championship-winning years with the manufacturer.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nMercedes are currently dominating the standings after the first two races in Australia and China.\n\nThe team has secured 98 points out of a possible 103, with both George Russell and Kimi Antonelli taking a Grand Prix victory each.\n\nBoth Ferrari drivers, Leclerc and Hamilton, have been consistently on the podium.\n\nMcLaren are struggling to match the top two's pace.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "Lando Norris issues blunt response to Lewis Hamilton theory as Japanese GP creeps closer"
}