Lando Norris turned heads at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace by setting the pace during the opening practice session of the Brazilian Grand Prix. This positive momentum comes as a welcome relief for the McLaren squad, who have not tasted the podium since the Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring circuit months ago. The arrival of a massive upgrade package brought directly to Interlagos was thoroughly tested by the British driver right from the get-go.
The Woking-based outfit stands out as the only constructor to introduce a significant cluster of aerodynamic updates this weekend. Ranging from a brand-new front wing, rear wing, bodywork elements above the gearbox, to a thoroughly revised floor, every single component was deployed to boost performance. Interestingly, the new front wing layout also serves as an exploratory testing phase aimed at shaping the aerodynamic philosophy for the upcoming 2027 technical regulations.
Although he managed to top the charts in FP1 and secure the second-fastest time behind reigning world champion Kimi Antonelli in the second session, Lando Norris candidly admitted that the upgraded car still presents handling quirks that require careful management from the cockpit. Raw speed gains do not automatically translate to a machine that is simple to drive.
"It is still a bit tricky to evaluate exactly how much performance the new package is delivering," Lando Norris explained to the press. "The ultimate goal of bringing these updates is to make the race car faster, but that does not automatically mean the car will become easier to handle out on track."
He further elaborated that in an ideal world, any performance-enhancing upgrade should ideally couple extra speed with a more forgiving platform. Given that this season's charger has proven demanding to extract lap time from, careful data logging is essential to ensure the team maximizes its points-scoring potential through the remainder of the Sao Paulo race weekend.
"As an interim assessment, I would say we are taking small steps in the right direction, particularly in terms of achieving a slightly more predictable handling envelope. However, this is merely a preliminary sample size after two practice runs here in Brazil. We must observe how things unfold as the weekend progresses and how these parts behave at different venues."
"To be completely honest, topping the timesheets in the first practice session was something I genuinely did not expect, so that came as a very pleasant surprise. In the second session, I had to work a bit harder, but we are still right in the mix—with the exception of Mercedes, who currently hold a slight advantage over us."
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