Oscar Piastri ended a challenging Friday at the Madrid street circuit with eighth in FP1 and seventh in FP2, but the Australian admitted McLaren still lacks answers to their deficit to Mercedes and Ferrari. He completed 22 laps in the opening session before a cockpit issue forced him back to the garage early, then bounced back with 24 laps in the second session, cutting the gap from over a second to 0.538s behind Kimi Antonelli, who topped the times.
“Overall, a solid day. Lots of learning and driving on a new track always makes things a bit tougher to get on top of,” Piastri said. “Once you settle into a rhythm it’s a pretty enjoyable one to drive but tyre management is going to be a tough one, as we have a lot of graining.”
Piastri acknowledged that he felt closer to the ideal pace in FP2, but significant work remains. “I felt like we got a bit closer in FP2, which was a positive step, but we’re still lacking pace, so we’ll be working hard overnight to try and find more time,” he added. He highlighted the main challenge: extracting maximum performance from the car on a street circuit like this. “Hopefully tomorrow we can find more consistency and unlock the ability to get that extra time out of the car,” he hoped.
On the other side of the garage, Lando Norris effectively missed FP2 due to a gearbox issue. The reigning world champion had been the faster of the two McLarens in FP1, finishing sixth and 0.870s behind George Russell, but completed only two laps in the later session before returning to the pits. McLaren began a gearbox change but was unable to get Norris back on track before the chequered flag, leaving the team without a full set of data from both cars at a track making its Formula 1 debut.
Norris described his Friday as “tricky” after losing the chance to build on changes identified during FP1. “Whenever you come to a new circuit, track time is very important, so we’re clearly on the back foot having missed FP2,” he said. “We’ll work hard overnight looking at the data from FP1, from Oscar’s car and the teams around us, and make sure we get as much learning as we can in FP3.”
McLaren technical director of performance Mark Temple conceded the team was not yet where it wanted to be, with the combination of low grip, high temperatures and Norris’ lost running adding to the challenge. “Today presented a significant challenge, particularly with the gearbox issue that cost Lando a substantial amount of track time in FP2,” he said. “It’s a big setback on a new and technically demanding circuit like this, where every lap is crucial for gathering data. The conditions are tough for everyone, with high temperatures and low grip, but we must bounce back.”
With Madrid making its Formula 1 debut, every lap is precious. McLaren must maximise FP3 to close the gap, especially in terms of tyre management and consistency on the narrow street circuit. Piastri and Norris still have time to turn things around, but the pressure to perform in qualifying is mounting. The team will work through the night to analyse data and find solutions to compete at the front.
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