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McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has summed up all the unfortunate incidents that his team encountered during the 2023 F1 Saudi Arabian GP.
The results from the Jeddah race were difficult to swallow for McLaren. Both their drivers, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, suffered front wing damage. The former finished 15th, while the latter ended up in 17th.
The McLaren team boss explained how Piastri's clash with Pierre Gasly on the first lap damaged the young rookie's front wing. Furthermore, the debris from Piastri's car damaged Norris' front wing as well. This forced both drivers to pit for repairs.
Andrea Stella said (via pitpass.com):
"After beginning the race with high hopes of scoring points, we had both cars at the back of the pack after the first lap and we come away from Jeddah empty-handed. Oscar had contact at the first corner, which required him to pit with a broken front wing, while Lando hit the debris coming off Oscar's car and also suffered a broken front wing."
Despite poor performance in the race, Stella stayed positive about the future, stating that everyone in the squad will work relentlessly to bounce back in Australia. He said:
"We're racers, we take these things on the chin, and we will be even more determined to succeed when we get to Australia. Before we go to Melbourne, we know we have work to do to improve our car, and that will be our immediate focus."
Lando Norris suggests roadmap for McLaren to become a top F1 team
Lando Norris has asked McLaren to follow in the footsteps of Ferrari and Aston Martin in their quest to turn their season around by improving their car's performance.
According to PlanetF1, Norris explained how his team is simply aiming to reach the top of the table, using the examples of Ferrari and Aston Martin. He said:
“Where did I want to be? It’s clear, but where we all want to be is clear: we want to be towards the top. I think that’s everyone’s dream, it’s every team’s dream in the whole grid but when you’re realistic, it’s between where we are now and those top four teams currently.”
He added:
"So I think what Aston have done is this clear example and what Ferrari did between ’21 and ‘22 was a clear example of what we need to achieve and want to achieve. And it’s clear that it’s achievable. So we just got to go out and do it.”
The 2023 F1 season has not begun on a good note for McLaren. They currently sit dead last in the Constructors' championship.
