British GP 2021 - McLaren F1 preview

Lando Norris

“Being on the podium for the third time this season was a great feeling. It was a well-deserved result for all the hard work the entire team has put in so far this year and during an intense triple-header. Hopefully, we can carry this energy into mine and the team’s home grand prix this weekend, although we need to be realistic in what we can achieve as Silverstone is a very different track. That being said, we’ll still be trying our hardest to score as many points as possible.

“Racing at Silverstone is always a special occasion with it being my home race. Welcoming back the British fans – in the safest way possible – will be amazing to see. I’ve missed them a lot especially doing two races there last year behind closed doors. Seeing the grandstands full and everything feeling a bit more normal is something I’m really looking forward to.

“We also have the first sprint qualifying event of the season. We’ll be straight into the action on Friday with qualifying before the sprint on Saturday, so we’ll be prepared to hit the ground running. It’s something new for everyone and should make for some close and exciting racing that I’m sure the fans will enjoy!”

Daniel Ricciardo

“This weekend sees us heading to Silverstone for the team’s home race. It’s going to be a special moment for us all as we get to see the fans back in those grandstands – it’s been a long time coming. We’ve slowly seen more and more fans back at track as the season has progressed and when it’s been safe to do so in certain countries. I think everyone has missed the noise and atmosphere that only the fans can provide.

“At the British Grand Prix we’ll try out the new sprint quali format for the first time, which will be an exciting challenge. It’ll be interesting to mix up the weekend and I’m sure it’ll provide plenty of opportunities to put us in a good position for the race on Sunday.

“After the three back-to-back races in France and Austria, I’ve taken the time to fully recharge my batteries, and spent some time at Goodwood driving Senna’s MP4-5B, which was just awesome. I’m ready to go again at Silverstone and keep pushing after a more positive weekend in Austria where I gained a bit more confidence in the car. We just need to continue to make the steps to translate those improvements into lap-time, so we can challenge for good points.”

Andreas Seidl - Team Principal

“Following the conclusion of the first triple-header of the season, we now look forward to racing at our home grand prix this weekend. It’s great that the British Grand Prix will see a full-capacity crowd, with our fans and many team members supporting from the grandstands, while ensuring the appropriate measures are in place to keep everyone safe.

“This weekend will also see the first sprint qualifying session of the year take place. We’re looking forwarding to trialling the new Saturday sprint format as we continue to see the sport develop and encourage closer and exciting racing for the fans. The team has been working hard in preparation for the change to how we run a usual race weekend, with qualifying now being on Friday and a sprint race on Saturday. The format will certainly mix things up for everyone and every team will be looking to capitalise on any opportunities.

“We’ve taken the time to reset as a team after the strong result in Austria and we’re ready to go again in the fight for good points. We’re continuing to take steps forward in terms of performance by extracting the most out of our package, but we need to remain realistic about what’s achievable, stay focused and take each race at a time as we progress through the season.”