02/12/2020
NEWS STORY
Lando Norris: "We're racing under the lights again in Bahrain, but with a completely new track layout. The outer circuit is definitely going to be different to what we're used to in F1 which is exciting. It could be quite a crazy race with not so many corners, several long straights and lap-times of less than a minute. I'm sure it'll provide some great racing during the 87 laps.
"We had a good race last weekend that showed the hard work everyone in the team is putting in both at track and back home. We've got two more races to go, so we're going to knuckle down, keep focusing on ourselves and keep pushing hard to perform as best as we possibly can.
"It's really great to see that Romain is recovering well. I'm also wishing Lewis all the best and a quick recovery after hearing the news that he tested positive for coronavirus. Hopefully, they'll both be back racing soon."
Carlos Sainz: "The team had a good outing last weekend that saw us score a decent amount of points. I felt comfortable in the car since Friday and we carried that feeling all weekend. The comeback from P15 was great, but I really look forward to a weekend with no unfortunate surprises like in quali and especially no dangerous events like the one we saw on Sunday with Romain.
"The outer circuit in Bahrain is not your typical F1 track. Even though we just raced here, we're going to have to adjust the set-up quite a bit for this new challenge. We never really race on circuits with mainly long straights and only a few corners. It's going to be interesting to see how this plays out in F1 cars as I'd expect there to be consistent flat-out racing. Hopefully we can get to grips with things quickly and start the weekend strong.
"I'm very happy to see that Romain is doing well and has been discharged from hospital, but saddened to read the news yesterday about Lewis testing positive for covid. We'll miss both of them this weekend at the track and I really hope they have a swift recovery."
Andreas Seidl, Team Principal: "First of all, it's great to see the messages from Romain and that he's doing ok after his accident last Sunday. Everyone at McLaren is also wishing Lewis a speedy recovery after testing positive for covid.
"It's week two of the triple-header as we stay in Bahrain but face a completely new track. It's important for us to remain focused with no time to be complacent, as we turn our full attention to racing on the outer circuit in Bahrain this weekend. The circuit looks to have interesting characteristics that differ from what we raced on last time out, with fast straights and fewer corners. The track's short length and high-speed nature could see lap times of sub-60 seconds, which is something we're not accustomed to in Formula 1. This also comes with the challenge of adjusting the set-up to find the optimum level of downforce for such a high-speed track.
"Our priorities remain the same as we head into the final two races of the season: continue to focus on ourselves, optimise the cars' performance, stay on top of reliability and take advantage of any opportunities that present themselves."
Bahrain International Circuit - Outer Track
Race laps: 87
Total race distance: 308.241km/191.532 miles
Circuit length: 3.543km/2.201 miles
Number of corners: 11 (eight right, three left)