McLaren Racing Formula One Team’s quest to claim their first Constructors championship title in 26 years was made slightly easier on Saturday with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri locking out the front row for Sunday’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Norris who set a 01:22.595s commented saying:
A very good day for the team. We were quick all the way through Practice, but Qualifying was a little bit trickier than we had hoped. My final Q3 lap was strong, and we can be very pleased to have both cars on the front row. The team has done an incredible job so far this weekend, but we will remain focused going into tomorrow’s race.”
Oscar Piastri who set a 01:22.804s commented saying:
A front-row lockout is a great result for the team. The job is absolutely not done but it’s good to go into tomorrow in a strong position. After my lap was deleted and then reinstated, I gave Turn 1 more space than I should have, so I lost a little bit of time there on the final run but we’re still in a great place. We just need to keep our heads down now and not lose focus. There is still a lot to do tomorrow.”
McLaren go into Sunday’s race under the lights with a 21 point lead in the championship over Ferrari and speaking about qualifying, Team Principal Andrea Stella said:
“A very intense Qualifying session in Abu Dhabi, with each stage being very close. It’s incredible how tight the field is at the moment, with very little to pick between the fastest and slowest cars out there. This made Q1 more difficult, and we needed to use two sets of tyres, which altered our plan for the rest of Qualifying.
“Lando and Oscar kept delivering good laps throughout the session, and they confirmed the potential in the car with a front-row lockout. We’re happy with the performance today but at the same time, we are aware that we haven’t scored any points yet. We will stay calm, remain focused and keep our energy levels up for the important job tomorrow. The team have done a great job so far this weekend and we’re looking forward to the race.”