13/12/2020
NEWS STORY
Lando Norris: "Pretty much the perfect day today! I had a good start and we just did everything we needed to do as a team. We executed it perfectly, the Safety Car and the pit-stops, and managed the tyres really well. P3 with the team is awesome and the perfect way to end this season, I couldn't be happier!
"Thanks to the boys and girls at McLaren for all their hard work throughout the season, you've done an incredible job all year and this result is for you. And finally, best of luck to Carlos for the future. I'm looking forward to battling him again on track next year, and maybe at the golf course too."
Carlos Sainz: "A great day for the whole team. I think we managed to put together a very strong weekend from the beginning to the end. We managed to remain focused, solid and bring home this P3 in the championship with a very well-executed race from everyone.
"From my side, it wasn't the most exciting race. I kept it clean, I made a couple of moves in the middle of the race and managed to finish back in P6, so happy with that. I'm also very happy with finishing P6 in the Championship for the second time with McLaren. I think the last seven, eight races of the year, where things went a bit more our way, I was able to show the pace that we've had all season. For me it just shows that, whatever happens, you need to keep pushing and believing in what you are doing.
"I cannot be more grateful to each and every member of the team for these two great years, both at the racetrack and back at the factory. I take with me the best of memories. It's been an honour to help the team as much as I could and get McLaren closer to where it belongs. I look forward to battling you guys next year! All the best."
Andreas Seidl, Team Principal: "We did it! P3 in the Constructors' Championship. Congratulations and well done to the entire team, here in Abu Dhabi and back home at the MTC. Together with our drivers and our colleagues from Renault, they coped very well with the pressure to deliver a clean weekend and an excellent performance that helped us outscore our competitors. What an outstanding result at the end of a very challenging and difficult season.
"I'm very proud to be a member of the McLaren F1 team today. We asked a lot from our people this year, but amid the pandemic and a great deal of uncertainty everyone stayed focused on the job in hand. The team back home developed the car throughout the season with continuous updates from the factory, and at the track we kept improving the execution of our race weekends.
"Looking ahead, our results this season, together with our financial news today, provide a stable foundation on which we can build towards the goal of getting back to the front of Formula 1. At the same time, we're realistic about where we stand and will continue on our journey. We've had a lot of assistance this year: the support of our fans and our partners has been crucial, as has the work done by the FIA and Formula 1 to ensure we could have a full, safe season. We thank them all. I'd also like to offer a special note of appreciation to our drivers, who both did a superb job this year. We're looking forward to having Lando onboard for the future, and Carlos leaves with our best wishes for his next chapter in Formula 1. Also, a special thanks to Renault for their great support over the last three years."
Check out our Sunday gallery from Yas Island, here.