Monaco GP 2021 - McLaren F1 preview

Lando Norris

“I’m very excited to go racing in Monaco again, it’s an awesome track with a lot of history, and one of the most challenging circuits in Formula 1. It’s also really cool to be racing there in Gulf colours and to be writing history with the team. The blue and the orange work really well together on a race car and I think the fans are going to love seeing it racing around the streets of Monaco. I’ll also be running a special race helmet for the weekend, inspired by Gulf’s iconic colours, so keep your eyes peeled for that too.

“It’s been a strong start to the season for me personally, but also for the team. We’re up against strong competition in both the Drivers and Constructors’ Championships, so we’re working hard to extract every bit of performance we can. We know that Monaco is going to be a tricky weekend, with so much riding on qualifying, but we’ll be working hard to start the weekend well on Thursday and score some decent points come Sunday.”

Daniel Ricciardo

“I was already excited about going racing again in Monaco, but to be racing in Gulf colours for the weekend just raises the level of excitement even further. I’ve even got a custom retro helmet to match the entire theme of the team this weekend.

“Monaco is my favourite circuit on the calendar, and I really missed driving there last year. It’s such a unique place to drive and as F1 drivers we’re incredibly lucky to get the opportunity to race there. It’s not like any other circuit in the world where you can turn up for a track day and drive, you have the Monaco Grand Prix and support events and that’s it. So, I’m incredibly excited to be going back, we’ve been deprived of that place for nearly two years.

“We’ve been making a lot of progress over the last few races, and I think that really showed in Spain. I’m really starting to get to grips with the car and build my confidence. We know we’ll have our work cut out for us in Monaco, given how important qualifying is and how close we are to the competition, but we’ll give it our all and try to bring home some solid points for the team.”

Andreas Seidl - Team Principal

“After a close and exciting start to the season, we’re looking forward to returning to Monaco for the first time since 2019. We all missed this iconic street circuit last year, and the entire team is excited to be back racing in the principality once again. This weekend we’ll be running an incredible one-off livery in partnership with Gulf Oil International. The Gulf racing blue and fluro orange marks a significant departure from our usual livery, and I’m sure the fans are going to love seeing it out on track. A big thank you to all of those in our team that have worked so hard to make this exciting activity a reality alongside their regular duties.
“Monaco is an exciting and outstanding track on the calendar and poses a unique challenge in Formula 1. The team, as always, will be focused on our performance and operational execution. We must be ready to take every opportunity to score good points whenever we can. We’ve been able to achieve that at every race so far, with both drivers scoring points at each grand prix. We’re ready for the fight and another exciting weekend of racing.”