
That was the weekend that was
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix according to social media
They may have used split strategies during the race, but there was very little to split Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, positionally, in Azerbaijan with the duo finishing one behind the other in FP3, qualifying and the race.
It culminated in a six-point haul, and while that may not be our strongest of the season, context is everything. At a track as unpredictable as Baku, we produced a gritty, battling performance and there were several positives that arose. Daniel talked up his progression in the car from Monaco, while Lando pulled off several eye-catching manoeuvres on his way to P11. And as always, your support was phenomenal throughout.
Before the weekend had even gotten underway, we were able to treat you to some exciting news from McLaren HQ, revealing that we'll finally be able to open up our home to you for tours again. Safe to say you were psyched.
After a weekend off from Formula racing, you were raring to see your favourite team return to the track, even if it meant taking a few 'unofficial' breaks from work…
Or crossing your fingers that your flight was delayed. No, you're not a "bad person," @Aimee_J_, just a passionate papaya fan. And we love that.
@dr3xln4 has a point.
We loved this bright papaya show of support for Daniel and the team from the Optus Stadium in Australia.
Good vibes only.
Right. Time to get down to business.
But first, a quick fit check.
It's always overwhelming to see so many of you cheering us on from so many different places.
Despite a promising final practice session, we narrowly missed out on Q3, with Lando 0.022s off in P11 and Daniel just over a tenth further back in P12. But on a circuit that's proven ripe for overtaking in the past, the result gave us plenty to fight for.
With time to spare between quali and the race, we headed out to film a quick episode of Escape to the City with Lando…. Okay, maybe we didn't, but tell us you wouldn't watch this?!
We enjoyed our mini exploration, but thankfully, before we knew it, race day had arrived.
All in a day's work, @delo_meg.
Ahead of the Grand Prix on Sunday, we were proud to unveil a #PrideMonth speedmark on the MCL36 alongside McLaren Racing Engage, our initiative to advance diversity, equality, and inclusion within motorsport.
Thank you all so much for the support you showed us.
We all have our own warm-up (or, in Lando's case, chill-down) routines.
@lauraneubauer25 was right, Jon's hair was looking particularly strong on Sunday. Jon, if you're reading this, we need the name of your conditioner.
We hope you made it there on time, @ricnorrisf1!
After a solid start to the race, Daniel was defending his position in sixth, ahead of his pit-stop, with Lando charging back through the field from 16th after his.
Daniel used a well-timed Virtual Safety Car to grab a fresh pair of boots and returned to solidify eighth, directly ahead of Lando, who had fought up to ninth.
Crossing the line one behind the other made for some pretty sweet pictures – but none of them was as sweet as this birthday cake.
Thank you, @Daia242. The hard work continues, we can't wait to see you all in Canada!
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