McLaren F1 Team duo Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz Jr. are looking forward to Spa, the home of the Belgian Grand Prix, a favourite for both drivers.
Norris, who has raced on the track in various competitions, hopes he has a better race then he did in the previous year. Last year’s rookie was having a good race until a complete power loss on the last lap.
The weekend will also be a somber one, being one year after the death of young Formula 2 driver, Anthoine Hubert.
“The Belgian Grand Prix weekend is one I always look forward to. Spa is one of my favourite circuits in Formula 1 and is such great fun to drive. It’s a fast and flowing track with plenty of opportunities to overtake, which is a bit of a contrast to Spain. I had a good race there last year until an issue on the final lap, so I’m looking forward to getting back out on track again and going for it.” Norris added.
“This race also feels like a second home grand prix for me, because of my dual British/Belgian citizenship and the family I have there. I’ll be running a special helmet this weekend as well, so keep an eye out for the reveal of that ahead of Friday.
“Finally, this weekend we take the time remember Anthoine Hubert, who tragically lost his life at Spa last year. The whole racing community was shocked and saddened by what happened, and he’ll be in our thoughts as we go racing again this year.”
Carlos Sainz Jr. is hoping for a good weekend. The Spanish driver hasn’t had the start to the season he had hoped for. However, he had a strong race in his home race, The Spanish Grand Prix and finished in sixth.
As a team, Sainz Jr. believes McLaren have performed well over the opening races a hopes that mentality can carry on to the next race.
Sainz Jr. added: “After the second triple-header of this season we’ve had a couple of days to rest and get ready for the next one. Up next is Spa, one of my favourite tracks on the calendar. Knowing how the car is behaving this season, I hope we can put together a strong race weekend.
“In general, we’ve performed well over the opening stint of races and I hope Barcelona was a turning point in my season. We need to carry forward all the positive energy built in Spain because the Constructors’ Championship is extremely tight and leaving points behind is not an option if we want to stay in the fight.
“As we go to Spa again this year, we’ll take the time to remember Anthoine, who sadly passed away there last year. He was an exciting young talent that was taken from us too soon, and we’ll always remember him wherever we race, but even more in Spa”
Andreas Seidl, McLaren F1 Team Principal, also believes the team has performed well in the opening stint. With third to sixth only being a handful of points away from each other in the Constructors’ Championship, McLaren his hoping to come away with a haul and inch towards that third place.
“Following a weekend away from the racetrack, and a chance for the team and drivers to rest and recharge, we’re ready to get going again with another European triple-header. First stop on the road is Belgium, an exciting and historic track.” Seidl added.
“We’ve performed well over the opening stint of the season, but we know that we face a challenge in the Constructors’ Championship, with third to sixth place separated only by a small amount of points. Reliability, race operations and extracting maximum performance from the car are all critical to staying in this fight.
“Finally, I would like to echo the comments of both drivers as we remember the loss of Anthoine Hubert at the Belgian Grand Prix last year. Our thoughts remain with his family and friends and we wish Juan Manuel Correa well in his continued recovery.”
