McLaren
Lando Norris, P1
"I'm incredibly happy to take the win at the final race here in Zandvoort, but it was a real fight. For the first half of the race, especially on the Soft tyre, I honestly didn't think a win was possible. I struggled a lot with the pace and balance, and it felt like a bit of a repeat of Saturday's struggles. However, once we put the Hard tyres on, the car came alive. I felt much more comfortable, I could push, and we were able to put Mercedes under pressure, forcing them into an early stop which ultimately opened the door for us.
"The team's strategy was perfect, and that gave me the opportunity on fresh tyres to attack while Kimi was battling with Lewis. I knew that was my one and only chance, and I had to make it stick. Committing to the outside of Turn 1 was the move that won us the race. Despite the win, I'm not fully satisfied. We still have weaknesses, particularly in the slow-speed corners, and we need to improve if we want to fight for the championship. I'll be pushing the team harder than ever because the work doesn't stop here; we need more performance."
Oscar Piastri, P6
"A frustrating afternoon with a disappointing result but still some points on the board. The main positive we can take away is the start and the first lap after the Red Flag, where the car felt good and we were able to make up positions. The first stint felt reasonable, but from the second stint onwards, the pace was simply not there, and it became a real struggle.
"We will review the entire weekend and analyse to understand why we experienced such a significant performance drop-off. A slow pit stop didn't help, but the fundamental issue was the lack of pace, which is something we’ll work on ahead of Monza. That’s the priority now, to dig into the data with the team to find the root cause and ensure we can move forward in a more positive direction for the upcoming races."
Andrea Stella, Team Principal
“Overall, it has been a positive weekend in Zandvoort, with Pole position and the Grand Prix victory this afternoon, but certainly this is not one to be taken for granted. After the Sprint, we knew we needed to improve the race pace, and the drivers and engineers did a very good job of finding the extra performance we needed.
“Lando was on top of his game, driving like the World Champion he is, and fully deserved this victory. He capitalised on what was available from the car and the tyres, managed some very difficult conditions extremely well, and produced some excellent overtaking manoeuvres. I also want to recognise the work of the team on strategy. We extended the second stint to attack Andrea Kimi Antonelli and that worked well, so credit to everyone involved.
“With Oscar, the finishing result of P6 is not a fair reflection of the competitiveness he demonstrated throughout the weekend. We lost time at the pit stop and then struggled to switch on the Hard tyre in the second stint, which cost him several positions. His pace in the first and final stints was much more representative. We know there is more potential that we can extract.
“This victory for the team is important because it confirms the progress we made in Hungary and shows we are in the game for victory. At the same time, Formula 1 is incredibly close at the moment, and we have to keep improving the car because the other teams will continue to bring upgrades. We go race by race, focusing on ourselves, developing the car further and maximising what is available each weekend. Monza will be a very different challenge, and will help us understand further our true potential.”
