“We had a slow puncture which just took us out of the race” – Lando Norris

Lando Norris suffered yet more bad luck at the season finale, after a slow puncture dropped the Mclaren F1 Team driver down the field, Norris eventually finished seventh at the chaotic Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Team-mate Daniel Ricciardo finished the year off with a disappointing twelfth at the Yas Marina Circuit.

It was yet further bad luck for Norris in what has been a challenging end of the season, the British driver was having a fantastic race and was well in the hunt for a top five finish. Tragedy struck yet again though for the Mclaren driver who suffered a slow puncture in the closing phase of the Grand Prix. This took Norris out of the battle for a top five and also ended the British drivers hopes of claiming fifth place in the Driver’s Championship, Norris ends the year in sixth.

Norris believes he drove a good race but that he was unlucky yet again.

“I thought from my side it was a decent race. I lost out a little bit at the start – I maybe just didn’t do the best job or place the car exactly where I should’ve done. After that, the race was going very well, I was keeping up with the Ferrari, the pace was pretty strong and then we had a slow puncture, which just took us out of the race and I lost a lot of points and a lot of positions because of that. Just more unlucky times! But the team did a good job today.

“I feel like I drove a solid race and it was just unfortunate again. There’s nothing we could’ve done, but I think we should still be happy with the way we ended the season. We weren’t quite quick enough at times, but that’s not down to a lack of effort.

“Thanks to the whole team for all their hard work. They’ve been amazing all season. We still have a couple of days of testing to go before the break, but soon it’ll be time for a well-deserved break and a reset before next year.”

“We’ve had some fantastic moments” – Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo’s first season with Mclaren didn’t really end with glory, or with anything for that matter. The Australian struggled to overtake at the Yas Marina Circuit after being stuck behind both Alpine F1 Team drivers virtually all race.

Norris proved that the Mclaren did have pace at Abu Dhabi but Ricciardo was unable to make the most of the cars ability during the race. It rounds off a frustrating year for Ricciardo, where despite his win at Monza, the Honey Badger doesn’t really have many other strong results to remember the season by.

Ricciardo is aware that he needs to improve on his qualifying next season to better his chances in the race, he’s looking forward to build on this year next season.

“We made a position on the first lap, which put us in the fight with the Alpines. I felt like I had a bit more pace than them, but it was honestly just really tricky to overtake. We tried to stick it out but with the Virtual Safety Car we lost positions. I think in clear air I would’ve had a bit more pace to show, but it was just tricky with track position.

“That’s what happens when you qualify a little too far back. Something I want to improve next year is the performance on Saturdays, and I think that’ll make the Sundays a bit easier.

“Thanks to the team for their hard work this year. We’ve had some fantastic moments, Monza being the highlight, and I can’t wait to build on the progress we’ve made in 2021. Before that, I’m looking forward to heading home, recharging the batteries a bit and getting ready to come back fighting next year.”

Credit: Andy Hone/ Motorsport Images/ Mclaren Media Centre