The McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team will start tomorrow's Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia from the third row of the grid, with Lando Norris qualifying P6 and Oscar Piastri P7, and both moving up a position after a PU penalty for Isack Hadjar. It was a decent session for the team, putting the papaya cars in the mix ahead of a race tomorrow that is full of possibilities.

A dry and very hot day at Sepang allowed the team to fine-tune the MCL40 during FP3, using data gathered on Friday, and analysed back at the MTC while the trackside team slept. The grip level had risen a little since Friday, but conditions were still difficult for all 22 drivers. Both Lando and Oscar started the session with a Medium tyre fitted, before switching to a Soft for the end of the session - which was disrupted by a brief Red Flag. Much to the surprise of the team, Lando's Soft Qualifying sim did not improve on his Medium tyre time. Oscar did improve, but only marginally.

It suggested the Medium tyre might be useful in Qualifying, but in the final analysis, only Ferrari and Audi ran it in Q1. Lando and Oscar stayed with the Soft compound, getting through Q1 and Q2 on single runs, able to watch the final attempts from the comfort of the garage. Oscar was P4 and Lando P7 in Q1, which became P4 and P6 in Q2. That left them two remaining sets of Soft for two attempts in Q3.

Following the first runs, Oscar was again P4 with Lando P6, though Kimi Antonelli did not set a time as he had only one new set of Softs available. The cars fired up for the final time with three minutes of Qualifying remaining, but the track didn't seem to be picking up the usual amount of grip. Oscar failed to improve his time, while Lando found a small gain to jump his team-mate. Outside of Max Verstappen's Red Bull, which has taken a step since the previous round in Azerbaijan, the following six drivers, including Lando and Oscar, are within four tenths of each other, emphasising that the MCL40 is firmly in the mix for good race results.

Attention now turns to tomorrow's race. With very rough asphalt and the hottest track temperatures of the year, tyre degradation is likely to be the highest of the session. Multiple stops are a near certainty, and starting positions are expected to count for very little, particularly if rain plays a part. Long-run pace and strategy are going to determine the outcome of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. The team expect to have a busy night ahead.

Lando Norris: "I'm pretty satisfied with my final lap. I feel I put it all together and did a good job with what we had. However, it's clear we are a long way off the pace. My car is struggling with speed on the straights, and we've lacked general pace all weekend, so starting fifth is not a surprise. We don't expect any miracles, and it's obvious the Red Bulls are in a class of their own here.

"Tomorrow will be a very different and challenging race for everyone. The tyre degradation is higher than we've seen all year, which will likely force a two or three-stop strategy. This could create opportunities with Safety Cars and varying strategies. It's going to be a tough, physical race where managing the car lap after lap will be crucial. While we're not where we want to be in terms of performance, the unpredictable nature of this race could be a good thing for us, and we'll be ready to seize any chances that come our way."

Oscar Piastri: "That's Qualifying done. A P7 result, but starting P6 tomorrow due to a penalty ahead. Overall, it was a decent session, but we're still struggling for pace. I just didn't get the best final lap, and had no grip at Turn Two, meaning we weren't able to get the last bit of performance out of the car.

"Looking ahead, it is going to be a long and tough one tomorrow. Our long-run pace looked pretty good yesterday, but the competitors around us didn't look bad either, so it may be tricky to move forward, but we will do what we can to maximise strategy and any overtaking potential here. Let's see what's possible."

Andrea Stella: "It wasn't an easy Qualifying session on a track that presents so many technical and physical challenges, given the very high temperatures and the highest tarmac roughness of the season, both for the drivers and the teams. Today's result comes as no surprise. We'd already seen last week that Red Bull had taken a significant step forward, and today that was even more evident. For our part, we know there's work to be done to maximise the car's potential, but, in any case, we've achieved a result that means we'll be in contention in tomorrow's race, which is important in its own right.

"Both Lando and Oscar did a good job on a circuit they'd never driven before. As was the case in Baku, Lando's car continued to suffer from a speed deficit on the straights, and we need to keep analysing the causes of this together with our partners at HPP.

"Whether the track is wet or dry, we're expecting a race full of twists and turns. Tyre degradation will be a key factor for everyone and, based on what we saw in free practice, we believe we're in a good position. It'll be a tight race, and our aim is clear: to capitalise on every opportunity that arises and fight for a place on the podium."

Check out our Saturday gallery from Sepang here.