Emilia Romagna GP: Preview - McLaren

14/04/2021
NEWS STORY

Lando Norris: "We've started the season with a good team result in Bahrain. Our aim is to keep progressing and maximising performance at each race. There are still areas we need to work on to try and unlock that extra bit of potential that can make us more competitive, but we're pushing hard to make those steps. The first race really showed how strong the competition is this year, which is going to make for some exciting on-track battles that I'm looking forward to.

"It's great to be back at Imola again this season. As always, we'll be aiming to maximise the time on-track to get the most out of the car in preparation for qualifying and the race. Track position is important in Imola with limited chances for overtakes. Turn One will be the best opportunity to make a pass, and it could be tricky elsewhere with the track being so narrow. We'll be pushing to make the most of the weekend and score some good points."

Daniel Ricciardo: "I'm looking forward to getting back in the car after a positive start in Bahrain. We secured a good result in that first race, and it felt amazing to make my debut for the team. I was a bit unfortunate with the damage we found on the car after the race, and there's still a few more things to learn and get to grips with which takes a bit of time. But given that, I'm confident we've got a lot more performance left to unlock. We've been working hard back at the factory to understand how we can build on that solid start. I completely expected it to take a few races to feel comfortable in the car, but I'm feeling better after race one than I had done at the same point in previous years, so that's really promising.

"Imola's up next and we're going to give it plenty. It's an iconic old-school track with a fast and flowing layout that provides little room for error. I'm really excited to be heading back there after last year's race where I finished on the podium. I'm definitely planning on bringing that experience from last year to help the team this weekend and fight for those points."

Andreas Seidl, Team Principal: "We head to Imola this week after making a strong start to the season in the opening race, but it's crucial we stay focused and consolidate it. The team and our Mercedes colleagues are working hard as always to optimise our package and give us the best chance to fight for good points this weekend. At the same time, we continue to concentrate on our reliability and operational effectiveness to deliver to our full potential.

"It's clear that several of our competitors have taken a step forward, although it's difficult to be certain of the true running order from one race. This will only become clearer as the season progresses, with different conditions at circuits with different characteristics.

"We're looking forward to racing at Imola for a second consecutive season, this time with three full days of running that will allow us to optimise the set-up. Imola poses a fresh challenge from the previous race, with different cornering profiles and a narrower track layout. There are fewer overtaking possibilities than at Bahrain, which increases the importance of track position and our performance on Saturday. On Sunday we'll need to be ready for an exciting race which will pose a number of opportunities and challenges, just as we saw last year. We're looking forward to another thrilling weekend of Formula 1."

Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari

Race laps: 63

Total race distance: 309.049km/192.034 miles

Circuit length: 4.909km/3.050 miles

Number of corners: 19 (nine right, 10 left)

Allocated tyre compounds: Hard: C2, Medium: C3, Soft: C4

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Published: 14/04/2021
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