The Brit set the pace for McLaren on the first day of testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, finishing fourth overall.
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Lando Norris claims McLaren’s Formula One pre-season testing in Spain was not perfect, despite the team’s strong performance over the three-day test. The Brit set the pace for McLaren on the first day of testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, finishing fourth overall over the three days. During the test, McLaren clocked 367 laps with the new MCL36 car, trailing only Ferrari and Mercedes in mileage. Mercedes driver George Russell said in Spain on Thursday and Friday that McLaren looked competitive, describing the team as incredibly strong.
“George obviously topped the timesheet, so if he thinks we’re strong, we’re going to think he’s strong,” Norris said. “But if there’s any team on the grid right now that you’ll expect to be at the front when it matters, it’s got to be Mercedes and probably Red Bull.”
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“So no, I don’t think we’re in an amazing place. I think we’re in a good place. We had a car which as soon as you put on the track, worked well. Of course, there’s always new things and some unexpected issues here and there. But it’s been a good start.”
There were no red flags or stoppages on the first day in Barcelona, but as the test progressed, more reliability issues emerged across teams, resulting in five red flags on the final day. One of the most difficult challenges that teams have faced during testing has been a porpoising phenomenon with their cars, which has been caused by the new ground effect aerodynamic requirements, which McLaren appears to have mastered faster than other teams.
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“No, I don’t expect bad things to happen. You work at the highest level,” Norris said. “But we still had a lot of issues. It’s not been perfect. Maybe from the outside it looked amazing. But still many things behind the scenes, which were not out of control but just to work on and fix and we’ll amend for the future.”
