Lando Norris heads to his home race at Silverstone this weekend on the back of his strongest performance of the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season so far in Austria, and he hopes to build on that momentum with another good result.
The McLaren F1 Team driver ran inside the top five all afternoon at the Red Bull Ring and ended up fourth, Norris gaining a position post-race after a time penalty for Scuderia Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr.
McLaren will run a special Google Chrome livery this weekend as part of the team’s sixtieth anniversary, something Norris is excited about, and he is keen to put in another positive performance in front of his home fans.
“Silverstone, let’s go! It’s my home race, the team’s home race, and one of my favourite weekends of the whole year,” exclaimed Norris. “The fans are amazing, and I can’t wait to see all the papaya in the crowd, particularly with the amazing Google Chrome livery we have on the car.
“The P4 in Austria was such a feel-good moment for everyone. The car felt good, and I enjoyed racing some of the front running cars. I want to thank the team back at the factory once again for working hard on this upgrade package.
“I’ve been back in the sim preparing for the weekend, working on optimising the upgrade package further and I’m excited to get more time in the car across the weekend. While we’ve still got a lot of work to do, hopefully we’ll end this double-header on a high and get some more points for the team.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing how the new package feels on track” – Oscar Piastri
Team-mate Oscar Piastri did not have the upgrades that Norris was given in Austria last weekend, and the Australian had a more low-key race, finishing outside of the points.
However, this weekend will see Piastri run with the upgrades for the first time, and he is keen to see how they work around the Silverstone Circuit, particularly in its special livery. He admitted he was encouraged by the way they appeared to work in Austria with Norris behind the wheel.
“I’m really excited for my first McLaren home race,” said Piastri. “Everyone at the team is looking forward to it and it will be great to see all the McLaren fans out there.
“Austria was bittersweet, but it was encouraging to see the improvements with the upgrades and for the team to get some good points. I’ve already been back at the MTC in the sim this week, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the new package feels on track.
“We’ll be looking good in the special Google Chrome livery, and hopefully we can have another positive weekend.”
