McLaren Racing – 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – qualifying

Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Saturday 18 March

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

“P8 on the grid! It was nice to get into Q3. I’m super happy to be in the top ten and it was a good experience to do all three quali sessions. Now we’ll work hard to make the most of this position and bring home a positive result in the race tomorrow.”

“I made a silly mistake, it’s disappointing because it cost me a chance to go into Q3 today. The car was good and I was feeling comfortable out there. On the bright side it’s a long race tomorrow, with plenty of opportunities, so I look forward to that. Hopefully, I can make up for the mistake and we can try to fight our way forwards.”

“It has been a bittersweet qualifying today in Jeddah. On one side, it’s a shame that Lando clipped the wall in Q1 and the steering arm broke, because otherwise he would certainly have been a contender for Q3.

“On the other hand, Oscar did excellent work to get into the final part of qualifying. He kept improving session-by-session through practice and run-by-run in qualifying where he put together clean laps and extracted the maximum from the car.

“Lando will have his chance tomorrow in the race, as the car looks competitive, and races here can often be eventful.

“I would like to thank very much all the team at the factory and trackside, for their hard work to deliver some upgrades at this race. Our aims this year are for more than simply being satisfied by making it into Q3, but this is an improvement that we welcome.”

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