2022 Singapore Grand Prix "A very good day, with both cars in the top five"

Marina Bay Street Circuit, Sunday 2 October

Hear from McLaren Formula 1 drivers Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, and Team Principal Andreas Seidl after the Singapore Grand Prix.

As it happened  

• After a delayed start due to heavy rain, we got a great launch off the line as Lando leapt ahead of Alonso and into fifth, whilst Daniel gained three places from 16th to 13th
• Lando and Daniel held their positions after a Lap Eight safety car, which was brought out following a collision between Zhou and Latifi that left the Alfa Romeo stranded on track
• Daniel was promoted into the points when Alonso retired from fifth on Lap 21, causing a Virtual Safety Car
• Lando gained fourth from Hamilton when the Mercedes driver hit the wall in-front of him
• Lando and Daniel were promoted to third and fifth, respectively, as drivers in front of them chose to pit
• A second safety car was required to clear away Tsunoda's stricken Alpha Tauri and this handed us a chance to pit. Lando switched to Mediums, returning third and Daniel took on Softs, returning sixth
• Verstappen made an audacious move on Lando for fourth, but the Red Bull locked up and ran wide, re-joining in eighth, with Daniel gaining fifth
• Lando attempted to chase down a podium in the remaining laps, but was unable to find a way past Sainz

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Started 6th 
Finished 4th
Fastest lap  1m49.212s on Lap 56 (+2.754s, 6th)
Pit-stops 1, Lap 36 [Inters/Mediums] (3.1s)

“A very good day, with both cars in the top five. It was a tough race, especially with the conditions, but the whole team did a great job today. We scored a lot of points, which was so important for the Constructors' Championship. Well done to the entire team. I’m very happy."

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Started 16th [Due to a grid penalty]
Finished 5th
Fastest lap  1m51.006s on Lap 57 (+4.548s, 12th)
Pit-stops 1, Lap 36 [Inters/Softs] (3.2s)

“I’m very happy. I haven’t had a top five all year so I’m very pleased with that. I feel like some things fell in our favour today, but I also think we were very patient and mature. It was very tempting to jump on a slick and try to be a hero in the position we were in – but I think we were just sensible, bided our time and that obviously allowed an opportunity with other cars, and then a Safety Car. I’m really pleased the first lap was good and we made some positions there as well. So, we did everything right. We maximised a top five and it was a big one for the team in the Constructors’ Championship, so everyone’s got a smile on their faces.”

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“Twenty-two points. Back in the game! Thanks to the entire team for delivering an excellent result this weekend, in hot, humid conditions here at the track in Singapore, back at the MTC and our colleagues at Mercedes HPP. Daniel and Lando both had superb drives today in tricky conditions. They did not put a wheel wrong on a day when many of their peers went off – but equally they benefitted from great teamwork and clear communication from their strategists, engineers and the pit crew, who once again delivered.

“We made the right calls today when it was very tricky to judge the best course of action. While we were in a good position from early in the race, in these conditions and particularly on this track, it is always tempting to jump early, switch to the slicks and try to grab even more. We had patience, two reliable cars, and solid pitstops, all of which were crucial factors in the result today. Special mention for Daniel - from P16 to P5 is a magnificent achievement. Both he and everyone on his side of the garage have worked so hard and shown so much commitment this year, it makes me very happy to see his best result of the season so far.

“Beyond the result, the upgrade that we ran on Lando’s car worked as we expected, which is a big positive. We’re looking forward to it being fitted on both cars in Japan.

“We won’t get carried away with the result today. It’s good to be back up to P4 in the Constructors’ Championship but we’re in a tough competition with a very strong Alpine team. We’ll keep our heads down and keep working hard until the final lap in Abu Dhabi… but first up, Suzuka!”

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