McLaren F1 Holds No Expectations for Austrian GP

McLaren F1 enters the Austrian GP with no clear aims, facing an unpredictable competitive hierarchy.

Lando Norris has finished in the top two spots four times in the last five races. The McLaren F1 driver returns to the scene of his first strong result of the 2023 season, aiming for victory, having stated in Barcelona that this is now his sole objective.

“I’m looking forward to the Austrian Grand Prix. It’s a very fun circuit to drive and I have great memories there, so I’m eager to get going. The fans are always enthusiastic and create a fantastic atmosphere,” said Norris.

“The car is in a very good position; we will take what we learned in Spain and use it to keep pushing. We are not setting specific targets; our aim is to keep improving what we do every weekend and let the results speak for themselves. Let’s see what we can do.”

Oscar Piastri was disappointed with his weekend in Spain, and he hopes to bounce back: “I’m eager to get to Austria and get to work. I really look forward to getting back in the car on Friday and working hard with the engineers to start the weekend off strong.”

“I was hoping for much more in Barcelona, but bringing home points from a frustrating race allows me to keep moving forward. The team deserves credit for the consistent work it’s doing, and I hope we can all continue this momentum.”

Andrea Stella, the director of McLaren, hopes to compete with the favourites but expects an uncertain hierarchy: “We head to Austria for the second of a trio of intense races, having left Spain with another good result for the team.”

“While we’ve had many positive results this season, the Red Bull Ring is one of the shortest circuits on the calendar, so we expect it to be very tight this weekend. We remain focused on our efforts to continue improving and to consistently compete with the top teams around us.”