McLaren F1 equaled its best overall result of the season in Singapore, with 22 points scored for finishing fourth and fifth. Lando Norris was ahead of his teammate, and he thought for a moment that he could reach the podium, so close was he to Carlos Sainz.
« I was, but it didn’t happen. I tried, he was quite slow, I don’t know why, I was surprised to be able to get on him as fast as that » said the British pilot.
« But I think even if I had been ten seconds faster I couldn’t have passed him. Max tried to pass me and he shot straight. It was almost impossible, it was easier to the end. »
Norris salutes Daniel Ricciardo and his team for turning a badly started weekend into a great result: « I had a good race, we had a good pace, it paid off for me and for Daniel too. Well done to him, he did a great job, we couldn’t have done better. »
« A very nice job of the strategy too, I’m happy. It was a very good weekend. It started as one of our worst of the year, and it ended almost the best ever. we’ve had this season. »
Ricciardo is “a little sad” to sign only his 1st top 5
Ricciardo, meanwhile, admits having had a tiring race, but he is happy to be in the top 5 for the first time this season: « I’m more tired, sleepy, than physically exhausted. It’s always hard the two hours of racing here, it’s long, and being on an urban circuit forces concentration to be very high, so II want to sleep. »
« But I’m very happy to be back in the top 5. It’s my first this year, which is a bit sad, but I’m happy to be back there. It’s a great performance for the team, fourth and fifth, it’s deserved and it’s a great day. »
Recounting his race, he hails McLaren’s decision, which made the first stint last long enough to take advantage of a safety car: « A good start, I think I passed three cars on the first lap. When it went to slicks, we wanted to come back. »
‘ Russell switched to slicks, he was quite slow, Gasly also came back, we saved time when the others came back to the pits. We were patient, there was the safety car and it paid off. Maturity, patience : top 5. »
