Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Sunday, 19 May

Hear from McLaren Formula 1 drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, as well as Team Principal Andrea Stella, after the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

As it happened 

• It’s a clean start to the race as both drivers hold their positions, with Lando in second behind Verstappen and Oscar fifth behind Sainz 
• Lando boxes for Hards on Lap 22
• In an attempt to undercut Sainz, Oscar boxes for Hards on Lap 23
• With all pit stops complete, Lando is in P2, 6.4s behind Verstappen, and Oscar has gained a place for P4, 1s behind Leclerc
• As Oscar consolidates P4, Leclerc begins to close in on Lando, who has been carefully managing his tyres
• Having gone easy on his Hards, Lando begins to pick up the pace, breaking away from Leclerc and taking chunks out of Verstappen’s lead
• Lando closes the gap to Verstappen to 1.6s with five laps to go
• He comes agonisingly close, but Lando narrowly misses out on first as he’s unable to catch Verstappen before the Chequered Flag, finishing second to secure his fourth podium of the season 
• Oscar comfortably clinches fourth place with a confident drive

Started	2nd
FInished	2nd
Fastest lap	1m19.994s on Lap 54  (+1.405s, 6th)
Pit stops	1, Lap 22 [Medium/Hard]  (2.5s)

“Another great weekend for the team. I fought hard right until the very last lap, but we just lost out a little bit too much to Max in the beginning. One or two more laps and it would have been beautiful – but just wasn’t meant to be today.  

“We’ve been competitive all weekend and I think we’re at the point where we’re able to fight Ferrari and Red Bull consistently. We must get used to that – the team is doing a very good job so it’s great that fighting at the front is now business-as-usual. We just need to keep focused on improving. It’s still a surprise to say it’s frustrating to not win, but after last weekend and the improvements we made, it’s what we should start to expect.” 

Started	5th
FInished	4th
Fastest lap	1m19.907s (+1.318s, 4th)
Pit stops	1, Lap 23 [Medium/Hard] (2.3s)

“P4, a good day and I think that’s the most we could have done. I just got stuck behind Sainz for the first stint, but the team made a great strategy call and we managed to overtake by pitting. This weekend proves how far the team have come and we’re confident we can keep taking the fight to the front. However, today, track position was so important, so I am happy with our work.” 

“A positive day at Imola and the first time in 2024 McLaren have emerged as the highest-scoring team. P4 for Oscar came from good strategy and good pace, allowing him to gain a place on a day when it was not easy to. P2 for Lando was a very strong result. It was a surprise to be in contention for the victory at the end of the race. It came about as a consequence of how sensitive the tyres were today. In the first stint, Max did a better job of managing the Medium and after the stops, Lando did a very good job of managing the Hard, resisting the temptation to overdo it when Leclerc was catching up. It paid off at the end with strong pace and being in the hunt for the victory. 

“Everyone at McLaren has worked very hard to make these results possible, and they have my thanks for the upgrades that have arrived over the last few weeks, but also for the commitment, the hard work, and the quality of that work. We need to keep improving the car. If we can do that, we’re going to be in a good position for the future.”