Silverstone, Saturday 1 August

Hear from McLaren Formula 1 drivers Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris, and Team Principal Andreas Seidl after Qualifying for the British Grand Prix.

CARLOS SAINZ, #55

“It was a very strong day for the team. For me in particular I’ve had a better feeling with the car as the weekend has gone by, so we made some progress on the balance and the set-up. In general, I would say there’s still some work to do, but I’m happier with the car and we’re in a good position for tomorrow. My last lap in Q3 wasn’t exactly as I wanted though. I lost some time in the exits and with traction coming onto the long straights but, still, P7 and a good starting position for the race.”

LANDO NORRIS, #4

“First of all, the team did a great job getting the car ready for quali because we had to make some big changes so we didn't quite get out on time – but we got out, so thanks to the team for their hard work. It was a messy qualifying: I made mistakes on a couple of my runs, especially the first one. I went off the track, compromised myself and lost a bit of confidence throughout the first half of qualifying, which wasn’t ideal.

“I was trying to play catch-up and get in a good rhythm and I didn’t really do that until the final session. On the old tyres I matched what I did on the new tyres before, so I felt a bit more confident going onto the new set that had more grip, and I could push that little bit more. It’s a great result, especially here at my home race. Tomorrow’s the important day where we have to convert it into a good result.”

ANDREAS SEIDL, Team Principal

“This is our fourth qualifying session of 2020 and we’ve got both cars into Q3 on all four occasions. Well done to the team here at the track and back home for making that possible, and also to the drivers who pulled out the laps when it mattered most. 

“FP1 and FP2 were challenging, but the team worked hard overnight to improve the car which helped us maximise the performance of the new components we brought to the track on Friday. Both drivers were a lot happier with the balance in FP3, which gave us a lot of confidence going into qualifying. We had some extra work to do on the cars after FP3 and both car crews did a great job to finish just in time. With the yellow flags, red flags, blustery wind and traffic management, there were a lot of variables in play this afternoon, but the team focused, worked hard and got through the challenges. Starting the race tomorrow in P5 and P7 is an excellent return and puts us in a position to fight for good points. We now need to switch our focus to preparing for the race tomorrow.”

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