McLaren
Lando Norris, 4th
“I'm happy with the race, finishing fourth was a good result for us today. The race was tough, the car was tricky, and I felt I drove well to maximise what we had. The second half was very strong, using the slipstream brought me back into the fight, and the battles with Lewis [Hamilton] and Oscar on the last lap were enjoyable. It was good, hard racing, and to come out ahead was satisfying.
“Despite the result, it's clear we're not where we need to be. This weekend highlighted our weaknesses - we're lacking in general performance, especially in Qualifying, and our straight-line speed is a disadvantage. Even with recent wins, we still have a lot of work to do as a team. We know our strengths and weaknesses, and the challenge now is to improve for the rest of the year.”
Oscar Piastri, 5th
“I think this weekend was definitely the strongest I've felt for a while, and my pace was the most encouraging it has been in some time. It was a tough battle out there for sure. The racing was quite tricky with the back-and-forth effect, especially with Lewis [Hamilton] and then Max [Verstappen], which made it difficult to break away. You had to be quite smart in how you played it to avoid losing time.
“Ultimately, we were the third-quickest team today. Mercedes were clearly a lot quicker than everybody, and even Max had more pace than we anticipated. It was a good result for the team and probably the best result we could have got. It was an intense, hot race, but it’s felt much better and hopefully, we can continue this positive momentum going forward.”
Andrea Stella, Team Principal
“First of all, congratulations to Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes on their victory today, they did a very good job and fully deserved the result. Overall, it was a positive and strong weekend for the team. The race was incredibly tense and entertaining, and both Lando and Oscar showed the same high level of performance throughout. What we saw today was good, hard racing that delivered an exciting spectacle for the fans. We let them race, and while Lando’s moment on the grass looked dramatic live, our review suggests it was benign. This philosophy can be risky, and we’ll assess it carefully, always prioritising the team’s interests.
“Today’s race was executed at a higher standard than Qualifying, where starting P6 and P8 left us paying a price in a field that’s hard to overtake. The slipstream and energy management here mean even quicker cars struggle to pull away, and with Mercedes holding a clear step advantage, we weren’t in contention for the victory. Looking ahead to the final 10 races, we aim to fight consistently for wins, with circuits like Malaysia, Austin, and Brazil suiting us better, and upgrades coming for Baku.”
