McLaren
Lando Norris, 1st
"This was certainly up there with one of our best-ever performances in terms of operational execution, strategy, and pit stop timing. The conditions out there in Brazil were exceptionally tricky, transitioning from Intermediates to slicks on a damp track and back again. We had a difficult launch off the line with wheelspin and lost ground early on, but I stayed patient knowing the weather and potential Safety Cars would bring opportunities back to us. Through flawless communication from the pit wall and keeping the car completely error-free on slicks in the wet, we managed to close down an eight-second deficit, apply pressure on the leaders, and capitalise to take the win.
"The new front wing and upgrade package we introduced this weekend performed exactly as expected, and without them, we would have been further off the frontrunners' pace. However, we have to stay realistic, we were still a tenth or two adrift in outright performance during practice, and we know we are not yet at the level required to contend for a World Championship consistently. I am immensely proud of the entire team and everyone trackside and back at the factory for their relentless work, and we are fully aware that we still have a lot of work ahead of us to extract the ultimate performance from this car.
"Finally, congratulations to Mercedes on their Constructors' Championship, it's a very special achievement and they've done a fantastic job this year in both Championships. I hope they celebrate well and enjoy this moment. We'll be working hard to give them a bit more of a challenge next year."
Oscar Piastri, 6th
"A good result in the end today after a challenging weekend with tricky conditions, especially at the beginning when the conditions were slippery and it took me a while to get into a rhythm. Once I did, the pace was strong, particularly on the Soft tyres, and that’s a real positive. I’m pleased with how competitive we were at points, although sixth feels a little lower than the performance deserved.
"The car felt like it took a step forward this weekend, but we still need to make it quicker and easier to drive and close the gap to Red Bull and Mercedes. Congratulations to Mercedes for their Constructors’ Championship win, I'm looking forward to battling them at the front next season. Now our focus turns to the final three races, we’ll return to the factory to keep working hard and try to carry this progress into the remaining races of the season."
Andrea Stella, Team Principal
"It’s fantastic to be back on the highest step of the podium! This success is truly the result of a team effort. Lando drove exceptionally well in very difficult conditions, proving to be the fastest on both slick tyres and the Intermediates; he didn’t make even the slightest mistake, apart from the incident on the podium!
"Oscar was also very quick: perhaps he spent too long in traffic, but his pace on the dry tyres was encouraging. We should be proud of the work done by the whole team. The upgrades, the car set-up, the strategy, the instructions from the pit wall, and a series of excellent pit stops all contributed to the result.
"The upgrades we’ve brought here are giving us positive signs for the end of the season and have also helped us understand certain concepts ahead of next year. At the same time, we must keep this victory in the right perspective. The low temperatures worked in our favour, whilst Mercedes appeared stronger in higher temperatures. Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari will continue to be fierce rivals, so we know there’s still a lot of work to be done.
"Congratulations to Mercedes on the Constructors’ Championship and also to our partners at HPP, who have secured the world title for their power unit for the third year running.
"Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to a great Formula 1 driver, Alan Jones, who passed away a few days ago."
