Lando Norris is looking to put behind him the disappointment of the Belgian Grand Prix when Formula 1 makes its race return to the Circuit Zandvoort in The Netherlands this weekend.
The McLaren F1 Team driver had looked to be the man to beat in the wet Qualifying session at Spa-Francorchamps last Saturday, but a heavy crash in difficult conditions at Raidillon left him with a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change and outside of the top ten.
With the subsequent race being a wash out with only a couple of laps being run behind the safety car before being declared a result, Norris had no chance of moving up the order, and he ended up outside the points for the second consecutive race weekend.
But putting that behind him, Norris is excited to return to the track for the first Dutch Grand Prix since 1985 this weekend, with the Briton hoping to start the weekend strongly.
“After a disappointing weekend in Belgium, I’m looking forward to heading back to track this weekend and hopefully putting on more of a show for the fans,” said Norris. “Zandvoort is a cool circuit and one that I’ve raced – and won – at before, back in 2017 in Formula 3.
“The track has changed quite a bit since then, with new banking, which could change how the race plays out. I’ve actually been back to the UK this week to drive the circuit in the simulator, so that we’re ready to hit the ground running when we get out on track on Friday.”
“Last weekend wasn’t how I expected to celebrate my 200th GP” – Daniel Ricciardo
Team-mate Daniel Ricciardo was hoping his two-hundredth Grand Prix would be a more memorable one than it was, even though the Australian secured his best finish of his McLaren career to date.
Ricciardo took an excellent fourth on the grid at Spa-Francorchamps, and because of the lack of green flag running, he finished in the same position. He scored six points thanks to half points being awarded, which kept him eighth in the standings, just two points clear of Pierre Gasly.
The Australian is hoping to carry the momentum from his brilliant display in Qualifying last weekend into this weekend’s Dutch race, and he is looking to add some decent points to his tally on Sunday afternoon.
“Last weekend wasn’t how I expected to celebrate my 200th GP, and it’s a real shame the fans didn’t get to see a proper race,” said Ricciardo. “Luckily, that doesn’t happen very often in F1, and we’re right back at it at Zandvoort this weekend.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been there, and I’m actually really excited to go back. The fans there are very enthusiastic, and I feel a lot of Dutch support. Hopefully we can take the positive momentum from qualifying in Spa forward and score some decent points.”
Daniel Ricciardo took his best result of the season in Belgium but not in the way he would have liked – Credit: McLaren F1 Team