Norris on top as McLaren investigates second track stop

Lando Norris concedes McLaren underdelivered in its test running target due to two mechanical problems despite topping day one of the second Formula 1 pre-season test.

The Formula 1 rookie produced a late flyer of 1m 17.709s to top the times for McLaren on the C4 tyres, just 0.006s faster than previous timesheet leader Pierre Gasly for Red Bull using the C3 tyres, with Norris completing 80 laps on his penultimate test day for McLaren ahead of his debut in Australia.

Norris was forced to stop twice on track with McLaren suffering a loss of hydraulic pressure in the first red flag incident while the team confirmed it is still investigating the cause of its second stop in the final hour of track action.

As a result, Norris is keen to extract more laps from his MCL34 but was content with the progress made in his preparations for his F1 debut next month.

“On the whole today was a good day, although we didn’t get to do quite as much running as we wanted,” Norris said.

“We’ve improved the car slightly since last week, especially on the longer runs, so we’re going in the right direction, which is positive. It’s important that we keep doing that. Overall, I’m feeling more prepared. I now have one last session in the car on Thursday, to finalise everything before Australia.”

“Unfortunately, we didn’t complete as many miles as we had on the programme today, due to some small issues,” Gil de Ferran, McLaren sporting director, added. “Nevertheless, on balance, it was a positive day.

“We were again able to complete some important work in preparation for Australia, with regards to the development and our understanding of the car, as well as getting Lando ready for his debut grand prix.”

Norris, who was joined by two-time F1 world champion Fernando Alonso at Circuit de Catalunya, hands over to McLaren teammate Carlos Sainz before his final day of testing on Thursday (February 28).