McLaren not confident in Bahrain: 'Not in a position to predict'

F1 News

Norris, Piastri and Stella ready to keep F1 season momentum going
28 February at 09:30
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  • Matt Gretton
  • Editor-in-Chief

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, did not start so strongly last year, but as time went on they moved up the grid. On Saturday, the five lights go out in Bahrain, and the Bahrain Grand Prix will take place. Norris, Piastri and team boss Andrea Stella look ahead.

Norris is excited to be racing again, he reveals. "It’s finally here, our first race of the season! I’m looking forward to starting my sixth season in Formula 1 and with the team. We ended last season on a high, so hopefully we keep the momentum. It felt great to be back behind the wheel of an F1 car last week. Testing of the MCL38 went well, which is a good way to go into the race weekend. We learned a lot but there’s always more to get used to in a new car."

Piastri and Stella eager to go

Piastri sees the Bahrain Grand Prix as the first real showdown of the season. "I’m excited to start my second season in Formula 1. It’s great to be back in the car, and the MCL38 feels good. It was great to get substantial time in the car last week at testing. We learned a lot about the car, but this is when we really find out how we stack up against the competition. The team has done a fantastic job over the winter, and we’re all really happy to be back racing. It should be a fun season ahead."

Team boss Stella wanted to say a word of thanks. "As always, we’re grateful for the support we receive from our fans and commercial partners. It never goes unnoticed, thank you for your support once again. We’re not in a position to make any predictions on our competitiveness as testing is difficult to read, but we’re committed to delivering our best performance in every aspect of our operations and we’re excited to go racing again.”