Lando Norris
“The past two races in Austria have been amazing for us and I can’t wait to go racing again in Hungary. After two weeks at the same circuit we need to reset and work hard to continue building on these solid results. This track has more slower speed corners and is much tighter than in Austria. It should give us a new benchmark on the performance of the car. I’ve driven on this track a few times throughout my career, including at my first-ever F1 test back in 2017, so I’ve got good memories. I’m hoping that experience will help me to hit the ground running on Friday.
“We know we can’t get ahead of ourselves only two races into the season. It’s been a great start but now we need to try and maintain our momentum and fight for the best possible points.”
Carlos Sainz
“After a Styrian GP of mixed feelings, with a great Saturday and a very frustrating race on Sunday, I’ve spent a couple more days in Austria training and recharging batteries before the last grand prix of this first triple-header. I head to Hungary with the confidence of knowing that, despite the last race result, we’re all working in the right direction at McLaren and I feel positive after a promising start to the season.
“The Hungaroring, however, poses a different challenge to what we’ve faced for the past two weeks in Austria, so we must be prepared. I had a great race there last season finishing P5 and, as always, I’m looking to build on that and keep improving.”
Piers Thynne - Production Director
“It’s always a challenge going into a triple-header, even more so early in the season with what is essentially a brand-new car. The production team back at the MTC has done an excellent job in ensuring we have all the parts we need for the three-week period while maintaining high build quality.
“Over the two weekends in Austria we have been able to contain issues and maintain good reliability, but we can never let our guard down. It’s a testament to the hard work put in by the team to achieve this level of reliability, as well as the excellent driving of Lando and Carlos to minimise the strain on spare parts.
“As the team head to Hungary, we find ourselves in a good position to push again. The Hungaroring brings a set of different challenges compared to those found in Austria, but we’ll be prepared. Due to the high downforce levels needed at the tight, twisty and relatively slow-speed track in Hungary, we expect to trim the car very differently compared to the fast and flowing circuit in Austria, and this race will also give us a new test of reliability.
“Looking beyond the Hungarian GP, our attention turns to the next triple-header as we head to both grands prix at Silverstone and Barcelona. As always, we’re looking to improve the car at every opportunity, and our focus will start to shift further towards car updates and away from our provision of spares. The compressed nature of this season will require teams to delicately balance resources between car upgrades and spare parts, but it’s an exciting challenge and one we’re ready to take on.”