Turkish GP 2021 - McLaren F1 preview

Lando Norris

“I’m looking forward to getting back to the track after a disappointing end to the last grand prix. Since then I’ve been spending a lot of time in the simulator, learning from the experience in Russia, and I’m ready to go again.

“The Turkish circuit is a real driver’s track and I’m glad we’re heading back there again after an exciting race last year. The fans out there are really passionate too, so it’ll be great to see them all again. As always, we’ll be working hard to keep up the fight in both Championships. We know how important every race between now and the end of the season is, so we’ll be pushing hard to score as many points as possible.”

Daniel Ricciardo

“Heading back to Turkey! It’s a cool circuit which often offers up some great racing. We’ve been working hard since the last race to make sure we hit the ground running. Given we only went back there last year, we don’t have a huge amount of data on how best to set the car up, so we’ve been doing work in the sim to learn a bit more and allow us to start strong on Friday.

“The fight for third in the Constructors’ is really tight at the moment and we know that every point counts, so we’re doing everything we can to outscore our competitors at every weekend. We’ve had a good start to the second half of the season, so we head to Turkey looking to retain and build on that momentum as we approach the final third of the season.”

Andreas Seidl - Team Principal

“We head to Turkey with the ambition of continuing our strong run in the final third of the season. Despite a disappointing finish in Sochi there was a lot to learn and plenty of positives for us to take forward to future grands prix and to build into our preparation for the next race.

“Turkey was a welcome addition to the calendar last year, and we’re excited to head back this season. We really feel the support from the local fans, and the race last year was exciting with variable conditions, which could be the case again this year.

“We’re coming to a crucial part of the season, and with the calendar now confirmed through to the end of the year, the challenge ahead of us is now clear. Simply put, we must ensure we are scoring as many points as possible every weekend, to maintain this fight for third in the Constructors’ Championship. The team, both back at the factory and at track, along with our colleagues at Mercedes HPP, have done a fantastic job so far to put us in this position, but the battle is still tight. We need to maintain our focus, our intensity and give it everything from now to the end of the year.”