McLaren F1 Team’s Lando Norris hopes the hard work he has put in over the unprecedented break will pay off as the Formula One season resumes in Spielberg, Austria this weekend, in the first of two visits to the Red Bull Ring.
During the break, Norris took up sim-racing, regularly entertaining Formula 1 fans on streaming services, but let’s hope getting back into the MCL35 will fare better than his online forays.
The Brit, along with teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. spent some time getting back to grips with racing with some sessions in karts and Formula 3 cars, in preparation for Free Practice this Friday, where it will be the first time the pair have been in a Formula 1 car since winter testing in Barcelona back in February.
“I’ve been working hard throughout this period away from track to stay sharp and ready to go racing again. I’ve been training at home a lot and spending plenty of time on my simulator,” said Norris.
“I’ve also managed to get some karting and F3 sessions in with Carlos over the last few weeks to help get race ready as best I can.”
The Red Bull Ring has proved to be a strong circuit for the McLarens. Last year both drivers finished in the points with Lando finishing in sixth place, two places ahead of his teammate, who started from the back of the grid following a grid place penalty due to engine updates.
The Brit added, “I’m pleased we’re getting started again in Austria, it’s a great, fast, track and we performed well there last year. It will be an interesting challenge to race there two weekends in a row, but also a great opportunity to analyse how the first race could have panned out differently and adjust our strategy for the second.”
