Lando Norris has revealed there is a possibility of a points finish in this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, after an awful season-opener for the McLaren F1 Team in Bahrain.
Despite qualifying eleventh in Bahrain, Norris endured a difficult evening in the desert, making six pit-stops overall to help solve a pneumatic problem by topping him up with air. Despite the British driver not being at fault for the problems, he explained how he and the team want to put it right this weekend.
“The team are working tirelessly to learn everything we can from Bahrain and to make changes so that we have a better weekend on track in Saudi.
“We know there is a lot of work to do to get to where we want to be, but I trust the team and know they are doing everything they can for us to be better. Let’s get out there and give it everything.”
Norris has enjoyed himself in the past at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, boasting point finishes at the previous two Grand Prix’s in Saudi Arabia. He is hoping for more of the same this weekend as he looks to score his and McLaren’s first points of the season.
“It’s nice to be back at the track in Jeddah. The speed here is great and I love street circuits, so I am looking forward to getting on track.
“I had a decent result here last year, and Bahrain showed we have some good race pace so a points finish is very much a possibility, we just need to extract as much as we can from the car.”
Oscar Piastri: “It’s important we all keep our heads held high”
Oscar Piastri has reiterated the importance of the team keeping optimistic, despite the disappointment of the Bahrain Grand Prix, which saw Piastri retire due a mechanical issue.
The rookie made his Formula 1 debut last time out in Bahrain and despite retiring early, he showed good pace in his short stint that saw him picking up some positions throughout the race. However, the Australian that won Formula 2 in 2021 will be aiming to qualify better at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, where he has raced before in F2, after getting knocked out in Qualifying One in Bahrain.
“I’m looking forward to going racing at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. I’ve raced here previously in F2 so I have some experience of the track’s speedy nature and I’m excited to get out there in an F1 car. There are some cool features like the fast bends, and it will be my first time on a street track in F1 machinery.”
Piastri won the 2021 Formula 2 Feature Race in Saudi Arabia and he will be hoping his previous experience can help earn him his first Formula 1 points. The track is known to be very difficult for the drivers and it’s one that could be key for McLaren, with Piastri hoping that everyone is feeling confident ahead of the race weekend and putting the disappointment of Bahrain behind them.
“Whilst the result last week was obviously disappointing for my first F1 race, I learned a lot and it’s important we all keep our heads held high. I know the team are working extremely hard to turn it around from Bahrain and make the best car possible for Lando and myself.
“We’ll keep pushing forward as a team and I have full confidence that we’ll get to where we want to be.”
Credit: McLaren Media Centre