Lando Norris says he is excited to return to racing this weekend as Formula 1 hits the Bahrain International Circuit for the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The McLaren F1 Team racer says he has enjoyed racing in Bahrain in the past and has had some strong performances, and he will be looking for another strong performance when the Mercedes-powered MCL35M makes its competitive debut.
“It’s time to go racing again and I’m really excited to be jumping back into the MCL35M and getting out on track,” said Norris. “We were only out in Bahrain a couple of weeks ago for pre-season testing and looking further back it was only a few months ago since we raced there, so I’m looking forward to doing it again.
“I’ve had some good performances there during my career and it’s a track I’ve become very familiar with.”
Norris says pre-season testing went well for the team, and although he acknowledges there is more to learn about the MCL35M, it was a good way to start the 2021 season.
“Even though we only had a few days to test, during those days and in the lead-up to this weekend we’ve been able to learn a decent amount about the car and do some correlation work in the simulator, which has been helpful,” said the Briton.
“Of course, there’s still more we can understand to extract every final bit of performance, which we’ll need.”
Norris will be entering his third season in Formula 1 and he will be aiming to continue the improvements he has seen in his first two years, with one podium finish to his name so far, which came in the Austrian Grand Prix in 2020.
“I feel confident and ready to enter my third year in Formula 1,” said Norris. “My aim is to keep building on my previous experience and help the team progress as much as possible.
“I know how hard everyone in the team has been working, both day and night, to get us prepared to go racing again and I can’t thank them enough. We’ve got a long and challenging season ahead but hopefully we can get off on the right foot.”
