Racing Point ready for “one last big push” to secure third in constructors' fight

Racing Point team principal Otmar Szafnauer has said his team is ready to "dig deep" as the battle for third in the constructors' standings nears a climax.

Just a single point separates Racing Point, McLaren and Renault in the standings, with the latter gaining the upper hand after Daniel Ricciardo scored two podiums in the past three races.

With Mercedes having been crowned constructors' champions at Imola, Szafnauer said, “I think the battle for P3 has been one of the highlights of the season.

"Having said that, it’s actually been a close fight throughout the midfield this year. We’ve been very closely matched with McLaren and Renault, as the standings show, but some of the other teams have been right in the mix too at certain circuits, which is great for the sport and has certainly made for some unpredictable and exciting races.

“I fully expect the battle to go right down to the wire in Abu Dhabi. That’s a measure of just how strong the competition is. We’re only a point off P3 right now and anything can happen, so we’ll dig deep, give it everything we’ve got, and treat the final stretch as a four-race Championship where we aim to come out on top.”

To round off the season, F1 now enters a period of four races in five weeks beginning in Turkey.

Szafnauer has high expectations for the run in and added: “We believe the RP20 is well suited to Turkey, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, so we expect to be strong in all four of the remaining races. It’s down to us now to maximise the performance potential of our package and secure solid points in all of the remaining races.

“It’s going to be a busy period with four races in five weeks and we’ve not had a triple-header for a while, so it’s about making sure we have one last big push to get us over the line. The team have stepped up to the challenge of a very intense racing schedule this year, so we know we have what it takes to maintain a high level of performance throughout.

“This has been a season like no other with the challenging global situation, so we are immensely grateful to everyone back at the factory and trackside for their efforts in not only producing a strong car but extracting the potential from it.”

Before you go...

Calendar gives “high confidence” for “return to normality” – Brown

Related

Lando Norris

Norris RETURNS F1 rival’s secret Santa gift

• December 25, 2024 18:58

McLaren

McLaren star reveals Hamilton rivalry prompts relationship doubts

• December 23, 2024 14:04