Rivals praise McLaren’s “amazing” result as team stun in qualifying

McLaren’s rivals lavished praise on them after Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were the closest cars to Max Verstappen in qualifying for the British Grand Prix.

While the championship leader secured his seventh pole position in the first ten rounds of the 2023 season, the McLarens of Norris and Piastri came closest to the Red Bull in Q3, securing second and third on the grid for Sunday’s race, respectively.

After being informed by his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase at the end of Q3 that the McLarens had qualified behind him, Verstappen replied by saying: “That’s a good result for them, they’ve been quick today.”

“It’s great to see both of them up here,” Verstappen added after the session. “A great result for their team.

“Also where they started off in the year, to see them here, it’s quite impressive as well. So very happy for them. And hopefully they can also have a very strong race tomorrow.”

The McLaren drivers were just ahead of the two Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jnr. After McLaren introduced a major upgrade package for their car last weekend in Austria, Leclerc said both Norris and Piastri’s efforts in the session should not be overlooked.

“They’ve done a great job,” said Leclerc. “I wouldn’t underestimate also the job that Oscar and Lando have done today, because these are conditions that are very, very difficult. Of course, McLaren has done a step forward, but I believe also that both of the drivers have done a great lap.”

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Leclerc’s team mate Sainz admitted how impressed he was at how McLaren had improved the performance of their MCL60 over the first half of the season.

“It’s amazing, the progress that they’ve made recently,” said Sainz. “They’ve brought a lot of upgrades, a bit like us, and I think it’s a track where the McLaren should always be good because they are amazing in the high-speed corners.”

However, Sainz was sceptical about whether McLaren would be able to continue their impressive form into Sunday’s grand prix.

“Now it’s time to see how the race pace is,” he said. “Normally they struggle with deg – a bit like we do – the same kind of issues. So let’s see who comes out on top tomorrow.”

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso expressed his doubts over whether McLaren’s strongest qualifying of the season was a sign that they would be able to be a regular factor near the front of the field over the remainder of the season.

“I think they’ve been very fast,” Alonso said. “They deserve the position they are in. They’ve been fast and improving, so happy for them. But let’s see tomorrow.

“I think McLaren was very fast last year in Austria and Silverstone and they were so-so in the championship. This year they are also fast in certain circuits. So I think we need to go through Budapest and Spa and make a reset after that and see where we are. I think we make the count in Abu Dhabi.”

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