Was it all a dream?

There are days, rare days, when the stars align to provide you with such unbridled joy and emotion that it’s almost impossible to believe. Sustenance for the soul, those days are what life is truly about. For McLaren, Sunday 12 September 2021 will be etched in the memory as one of them. Who would have dared dream that our long-awaited return to the top step of the Formula 1 podium would also see us secure a famous one-two finish as Daniel Ricciardo led home Lando Norris at the ‘temple of speed’, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza? What transpired at the weekend was not a product of luck, fate or happenstance. It’s taken years of struggle and sacrifice to win again. Savour this moment. Revel in it. And hold it close to your heart forevermore. This is the 2021 Italian Grand Prix according to social media…

Although some of the garages can be a little bit… cosy, Monza’s pit-lane is one of the more aesthetically pleasing – if a pit-lane can be such a thing – with its glass-fronted pit building and, of course, the iconic podium that extends out towards the track. However, it looked like one young fan was hard at work on new designs over the weekend. Watch out F1 circuit design guru Hermann Tilke, you’ve got competition…

While some were perfecting their designs, @maxine_e_j was nailing things a different way:

@Andreadn34 brought a bit of bling to the party:

And @Dan_kelly83 had mastered the Lando x Daniel merch combo:

He stole our heart too @sosmclaren…

Stealing is wrong, but in the case of @buckstack4 we’re willing to allow it. That hoodie looks so good…

And so does this cardigan!

Although Lando and Daniel were both a little frustrated to miss out on P3 on the grid for sprint qualifying by a matter of milliseconds, there was still no better way to end the working week than seeing them ‘do their thang’ in qualifying on Friday evening.

Plus, P4 and P5 wasn’t bad…

Meee shoes!

Over the years many companies have tried to get us to part with our hard-earned cash by appealing to our love of cuddly canines: Andrex toilet paper has the Labrador puppy, Churchill Insurance has a bulldog – ‘ohh yes’, and Dulux paint has an Old English Sheepdog. Well, say ‘hello’ to what could be Huski Chocolate’s new animal ambassador…

Was he ever really gone, @KhuddusAbdul?

@f1mclarenfan and @sarafound1 got Saturday off to a great start with some sublime artwork.

There was also plenty of McLaren-inspired body art on show too:

And, both at the track and at home, fans were ‘ready’.

But we’re not sure they were quite ready for this…

No, we don’t mean @AndyRobinson100’s birthday – although that was also very special. We mean McLaren’s best starting positions since the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix, after Daniel and Lando used the Soft tyre to great effect to jump a Medium-shod Lewis Hamilton off the line on the run to Turn One. They would go on to hold on to P3 and P4 respectively, which would become P2 and P3 due to an engine penalty for Valtteri Bottas. 

Yeah, we didn’t think you were ready...

“We’re just giving the people what they want,” said a nonchalant Daniel afterwards. Cue the hype train:

P3 for Daniel earned him and the team an extra championship point and a medal, which, according to some, is a cheaper alternative to therapy…

With many long straights and much of the lap spent full throttle at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, it’s very much a power-sensitive circuit. Fortunately, we received a horsepower boost on race day:

Saturday’s confidence had been replaced with palpable anxiety as the start of the Italian Grand Prix and the chance to make history edged closer.

Even though the Italian Grand Prix was limited to 50% capacity due to covid-19 restrictions, there was still some serious noise from the fans. That famous, magical Monza atmosphere was still there in spades.

For all the nerves, there was perhaps one young fan who was never in doubt about the outcome of the race…

…our first win nine years; our first one-two finish since 2010; Daniel’s first win for McLaren; Lando’s best finish for McLaren. This was, undoubtedly, an unforgettable day in the team’s history:

There were cheers...

Tears…

And, of course, shoeys…

Even ‘The Doctor’ approved:

But, even better, it wasn’t a dream…

And, it was all for you, our fans. Like us, you never gave up. You never stopped believing and for that, we’re eternally grateful.

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