Despite being unlikely to recreate their remarkable 1-2 finish in last year's event, McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo are nevertheless hopeful of a good showing at this weekend's Italian Grand Prix. McLaren had their day of days at Monza last year, when Ricciardo led the majority of the race to score the Woking squad’s first Grand Prix win for over eight years, with Norris following him home in second place after title rivals Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton had taken each other out. With McLaren having scored only a solitary podium finish so far in 2022, expectations of a repeat victory are slim, but Norris is nevertheless keen to pick up points in McLaren's quest to overhaul fourth-placed Alpine in the Constructors' Championship. "The Italian Grand Prix is always an exciting weekend," said Norris. "My last two trips to Monza have been incredibly positive, with last year being one of my favourite F1 memories, so let's try and recreate some of that feeling this weekend. "It's likely to be a much trickier weekend for us this year, but there is still an opportunity for points and to have an impact on the Constructors' Championship. "I'm really looking forward to getting out on track and seeing how far we can push the car as we finish up in Europe for the season."
Ricciardo 'keeping head held high'
Ricciardo's 2022 season to date stands in stark contrast to his Monza victory last year, with the Australian having scored only 19 points to Norris' 82. Ricciardo's struggles this season were encapsulated in a tough race last time out at Zandvoort, in which the Australian finished a lowly 17th and never looked likely to threaten the points positions. "Zandvoort was a tough one for me but I'm keeping my head held high," said Ricciardo, whose McLaren contract is to be terminated at the end of the season, a year earlier than planned. "I'll keep pushing through and try to end the season on a high. "We've had a good look at the data and had a deep dive into how we can play it for the upcoming weekend to hopefully get back up the pointy end. "It's likely to be another difficult weekend due to the nature of the track and it's clear we've got work to do, but I have full confidence in the team as we head towards the last race of this triple-header."
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