McLaren have outlined their aims for the Spanish Grand Prix as they look to bounce back from a tough weekend in Miami. The team came away with no points from the Miami International Autodrome, with Lando Norris forced to retire following a collision with Pierre Gasly, while Daniel Ricciardo finished down in P13. However, with the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya being a more familiar venue, the Woking-based squad are hopeful of replicating the good form they showed there during pre-season testing.
Norris optimistic about added upgrades
After the disappointment of his DNF in Miami, Norris is ready to hit the track again in Spain. "I'm excited to be heading back to Europe and racing in Barcelona this weekend," Norris said in McLaren's preview of the event. "I like the circuit in Spain as it has some nice features, a mixture of challenges and speeds, and a great crowd. "I've put the retirement in Miami behind me and I'm fully focused on the race ahead. "We got some good running in at the track during February testing, so I'm looking forward to adding everything we've learned from the season so far to the data we got there previously from the new regulation cars. "Miami highlighted that we still have a way to go to get back to consistently fighting at the top, but it's important for us to remain optimistic." Like many teams, McLaren will be bringing updates to their car in Barcelona, and Norris is optimistic about the impact this could have. "The team are working flat out to bring upgrades to the car as we speak, so hopefully that will give us the boost we need as we head into this double-header. Let's keep at it!" the Briton added.
Ricciardo: More of an idea what to expect in Spain
Given their prior running at Barcelona in testing ahead of the 2022 season, Ricciardo believes that this offers the teams a better understanding of what to expect than at any other track. "I'm looking forward to going to Spain!" the Australian commented. "There were some good battles in Miami with great support as always from the fans, but it proved to be a tough circuit for the team. Looking to Spain, we have to keep a positive mindset and apply everything we learned from last race weekend. "Spain was a good race for me last year so I'm looking forward to getting back out there in the new regulation cars and really get the most out of the MCL36. "Having tested here back in February, we have more of an idea on what to expect under the new regulations than we do at other race weekends. It will be good to see where we can make improvements and put the upgrades we’re bringing to the test. "Our performance since Bahrain has showed we can consistently fight for the top 10, so it will be great to get back on track and keep at it. We'll keep pushing and keep coming back stronger."
McLaren aiming to battle for points
With no points scored in Miami, team boss Andreas Seidl hopes that McLaren can be in the mix with the top 10 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. "Whilst the race result in Miami wasn't what we wanted it to be, the team are fully focused on the Barcelona weekend and the European double-header ahead of us," he said. "Spain is a great all-rounder track, with a nice mixture of high- and low-speed corners, plus areas that are more technically difficult. We've had some solid results there over the last few years with good points scored, which we're looking to continue this year. "We are bringing some upgrades to the car for the weekend. I know it's been an extremely busy week or so for many of the teams making changes ahead of Barcelona, so it's going to continue to be a tight fight for points. "We performed well at this track in pre-season testing so it will be interesting to see how our car will perform with the upgrades we've made since then. "Hopefully we can have some good battles and get both cars back into the fight for good points."
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