Norris: We're back!

Having started the season on the back foot amid a flurry of management changes, they managed to get their McLaren MCL60 into a sweet window in which Norris and Piastri have been able to deliver solid and encouraging performances.

It's fair enough to say that at the close of the half-time of the 2023 F1 season, McLaren were among the Best of the Rest along with Mercedes and Ferrari, albeit way behind the dominant Red Bull in Max Verstappen's hands.

Nevertheless, Norris and Piastri have been able to haul in a bagful of useful points in the four races since Austria. And their aim is to sustain that momentum.

Previewing this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix, Round 13 of the 2023 F1 World Championship, a double-header with Monza to trigger the second stanza of the current F1 title race, Norris said: "We're back! I had a great time over the summer break, spending time with friends and family, and of course, I played some golf too. I'm now feeling refreshed and ready to go racing again as we head straight into a doubleheader.

"First up, Zandvoort. It’s a really fun circuit to drive with lots of banking allowing for different racing lines. There’s always a great atmosphere there as well, which makes the weekend even more exciting.

“The team have done a great job of improving the car over the first part of the season, and I’ve been back in the factory this week working with the team to try and ensure we can keep that momentum up. Despite this being a challenging track, we aim to do our best and continue bringing in points for the team," added Lando.

And the points have been coming in for the Woking outfit who lie fifth in the points standings, with third a possibility if the upwardly mobile trend continues.

If there is a standout talking point of the last few races before the summer break, it has to be the emergence of Piastri as a serious contender. Although still a rookie, his performances have made the paddock sit up and take notice. He has Made for F1 written all over him, and making Norris work hard for his money.

Piastri said in the team's preview: "I'm looking forward to getting back to racing after some time off for the summer break. I had a nice time away on holiday, enjoying the sun and I feel recharged ahead of going into this second half of the season.

"Next up is the Dutch GP. Zandvoort is a new track for me, so I’ve been working hard in the sim with the engineers to get as prepared as possible for the weekend. I'm feeling ready and excited to get back into the car and see all the Papaya fans in the stands. Let's bring home good results," added Piastri.

McLaren F1 boss Andrea Stella gave the team perspective: "Summer break is over and it's time to go racing again. It's been good for the Team to take some time off and reset ahead of the final 10 races of the season, after the efforts in the first half of the season. The last four races saw us achieving strong results but also highlighted some areas where we need to improve.

"Zandvoort is one of the shorter tracks of the year but dense of interesting corners. The circuit features a unique, undulating nature through the sand dunes and is a challenging course.

"Thanks to the relentless work of the team, we have made significant improvements since the start of the season, and we aim to start the second half of the season on a positive note," concluded Stella.