Lando Norris believes "anything can happen" at this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix as McLaren chase some much needed points in their midfield battle.
The papaya team currently leads the race to be 'best of the rest' below the big three, but both Alfa Romeo and Alpine are hot on their heels. In terms of the drivers, Norris sits comfortably in seventh but Daniel Ricciardo has struggled for form and managed just eight points so far.
The Australian will hope to arrest that poor run of form in Baku, while Norris is aiming to continue a mini-streak of top-10 finishes in this race. The young Briton also hopes the usual drama that comes with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix can help him to pull off a memorable result.
"I'm excited to be heading to Baku!" he said. "It's cool to be at another street circuit and last year's race showed that anything can happen. It will be great to see what we can do in the new cars around this unique circuit. I've finished in the points both times I've raced at this track so hopefully I can keep that up and get some more points for the team this year."
He went on to add that he feels fighting fit and ready to go this weekend after suffering a bout of tonsillitis which hampered his efforts last time out in Monaco. "I'm feeling back to usual myself after the weekend off and I've recovered well after a tough two weeks," Norris added. "I'm excited to see what I can do going into this next double header, so let's get stuck in!"
While he has generally struggled for pace this season, a sixth-placed finish at his home race in Melbourne proved that Ricciardo is still capable of great things when he is on his game. He hopes the unpredictable nature of this venue and its reputation for drama will help him to achieve a result which could put his season back on track.
"I'm a big fan of the Baku Circuit, it has some exciting features and it's always a fun battle heading into Turn 1, where you often end up with three cars running side by side," said the 32-year-old. "There's a couple of different ways we can play it strategy wise this weekend but track position for lights out on Sunday will be important, even with the overtaking opportunities the longest straight on the calendar offers.
"There's always an element of unpredictability at street circuits so I'm ready to take advantage of any opportunities that come my way. Whilst Monaco wasn't quite what I wanted it to be, I'm feeling confident that we can keep pushing ahead and make the most of this weekend. Well done Baku!"
