2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – qualifying “A strong qualifying session here for the finale"

Yas Marina Circuit, Saturday, 25 November

Hear from McLaren Formula 1 drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Team Principal Andrea Stella after qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

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FP3 1m24.810s (+0.392s) 16 laps 3rd
Q1 1m24.487s (Softs)   12th
Q2 1m24.278s (Softs)   10th
Q3 1m23.782s (Softs)   3rd

"It was a difficult session. It’s been extremely tight this weekend. The pace was there, I just made a small mistake, but it would've had to have been quite a last corner to get on the front row. Overall, I'm happy with today, the car is very quick this weekend. It’s a nice turnaround from Vegas for the team and I’m happy to be back in the top three.

“I’m not sure how our race pace will be, but we’ll look into the data this evening. For everyone, it’s probably going to be the same story. I think the most anyone’s done is five laps in a row this weekend so tomorrow is going to be interesting. We’ll work hard to secure positive points to finish the season strong.”

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FP3 1m24.513s (+0.095s) 16 laps 2nd
Q1 1m24.368s (Softs)   6th
Q2 1m23.920s (Softs)   2nd
Q3 1m23.816s (Softs)   5th

"A disappointing qualifying in the end for me. I don’t know if I should have been P1, but I definitely feel like I should be starting at least P2. The pace has been very strong in the car all weekend which is a positive, so it’s frustrating to come away with P5 but I'll look to gain positions in tomorrow’s race to score good points for the team.”

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“A strong qualifying session here for the finale in Abu Dhabi. The car was competitive which allowed Lando and Oscar to fight for the top positions of the grid. Oscar gained confidence throughout the session, and he found his way to put the car in P3, which is a very good starting position for tomorrow’s race.   

“On Lando’s side, it was there for pole position until the second to last corner, where unfortunately he had a large oversteer and lost a lot of lap-time. Nevertheless, we are confident for the race and we look forward to finishing the season on a high.”