McLaren
Norris took part in FP1 but he did not get a representative lap time on the softs after running wide through Turn 11. He was partnered by Fornaroli, who had a tidy session in the other McLaren. With the team running their new rear wing, the rookie got a taste of it in FP1 and Norris then had that in FP2. This time around he did set a representative lap time and looked quick, winding up a very decent third. Piastri took a little longer to get going, ran wide and was a little bit further back, so he needs to assess the data and see where the discrepancies are overnight.
Lando Norris – FP1: 1:21.024, P11; FP2: 1:19.228, P3
“A tricky day, not the easiest two sessions for us. While we took a step forward this afternoon, we’ve still got some work to do. We’ve introduced some new bits on the car today, and we need to understand those a bit better and how we can get them dialled in. We know we’re not going to catch the guys ahead immediately, so we need to keep working hard, but we’re making steps in the right direction in a few areas. We’ll work hard overnight to get more out of this package and see what we can do tomorrow.”
Oscar Piastri – FP2: 1:20.101, P8
“It was a very challenging session for us. The track conditions were difficult with the high winds, and the newer sections of the circuit are quite worn with very low grip, which made finding a rhythm tough. Only running for one session today meant it took a little more for me to get into FP2, but thank you to Leo for his support this morning. We gathered as much data as we could under the circumstances and will work this evening and into FP3 tomorrow to find improvements.
“The new parts seem to be working as expected on Lando’s car, and I’m looking forward to having them on mine tomorrow. The Ferraris look strong, but we feel we are in the mix. If we can put everything together and execute a clean Quali, we believe there is a good opportunity to make a lot of progress and be in the fight for a strong result.”
Leonardo Fornaroli – FP1: 1:21.890, P16
“It was a good session in the MCL40. We got 29 laps in, and I found a good rhythm quickly after a month out of the car. Our pace on the Medium was strong from the first laps, but I had a lock up on the Soft run – this is a learning point for me. We also ran the rotational rear wing, and it worked as intended, which is encouraging for the team.
“Overall, I’m happy with how today went and the team’s positive feedback. I learned a lot and was able to gather a lot of valuable data and support with the setup of the car for Oscar, which was my main focus. Thank you again to the team for the opportunity.”
Randy Singh, Senior Director, Racing
“Overall, it has been an intense day for the McLaren Mastercard Team. The most positive takeaway from our running is that every new component we brought to the track performed as we expected. The drivers all did a fantastic job in what were very difficult conditions on track, especially with the wind, and we gathered a lot of useful data. Lando ran the new package all day, with Oscar running the old specification floor in his only session to facilitate our comparative work. Leonardo Fornaroli also played a big part in that during FP1, and his diligent work has been really valuable for our programme and future development. We have a solid foundation and feel we have taken a good step in the right direction.
“We remain realistic about our position. The gap to the front has been significant in recent races, and we always knew we weren’t going to close that in one go. However, the signs are encouraging, and this progress gives us confidence that our development path is the correct one. We are reasonably positive and look forward to seeing where we stand in Qualifying on Saturday.”