McLaren finished the first day of free practice for the Spanish Grand Prix of Formula 1 in Madrid, struggling to find pace and also lost Lando Norris throughout TL2. Oscar Piastri was seventh in the second session, while Norris did not set a time after facing a gearbox problem.
Norris’s setback had a significant impact on a new circuit, where the team considers every lap important to collect data and understand the car’s behavior. After finishing TL1 in sixth, the Briton missed the second session, leaving McLaren at a disadvantage for qualifying preparation.
“A complicated day. It was good to complete laps this morning, when we identified some changes we needed to make to the car, but in the end, we didn’t get the chance to progress in TL2 due to a gearbox problem,” explained Norris. The British driver highlighted that track time will be especially important in TL3 on Saturday to recover some of the lost time.
Read more F1: Check the full result of TL2 of the 2026 Spanish GP
Piastri, who finished TL1 in eighth and TL2 in seventh, assessed the day as positive in terms of learning but acknowledged that performance is still lacking: “I think we got a bit closer in TL2, which was a positive step, but we are still off the pace,” said the Australian, who also pointed out the strong tire graining as one of the main challenges of the track.
Mark Temple, performance technical director, described Norris’s lost time as a major setback and highlighted the difficult conditions, with high temperatures and low grip. McLaren intends to analyze the data overnight to seek changes in the chassis and driver work, while maximizing Norris’s time in TL3 will be the priority before qualifying.
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