After a strong start in FP1, McLaren faces challenges in FP2 at the Australian Grand Prix, with Norris providing a cautious overview.
In form in FP1, slightly off-pace in FP2, the McLaren F1 team appears to have prepared well for the Australian Grand Prix with solid groundwork during the first day. Lando Norris led the morning session and shared his cautious take on the day’s proceedings.
“I wasn’t leading, but it went well,” Norris stated. “And I wasn’t feeling great; we didn’t have more pace than the others, so it doesn’t mean much. Ferrari and Red Bull are clearly ahead, even Aston to a slight extent.”
“We’re in a good position; the wind made things tricky, it’s not too noticeable, but on track, it makes a big difference. It wasn’t an easy day, but the feeling is good, and we’re in a good spot.”
“We have clear weaknesses, but there’s no area where we’re stronger than others. We’re losing time in every sector to Ferrari, and the last sector with the tight corners is challenging, but we’ll try to improve.”
According to the Briton, the pole position battle will be between two teams, and he offers his prediction: “I think Ferrari will be on pole tomorrow, Leclerc will be on pole. We’re with Aston and Mercedes, it’s been clear from the start that Ferrari and Red Bull are too fast; we’re with Aston and Mercedes.”
“Mixed results” for Piastri
Oscar Piastri, the local hero, isn’t as comfortable as he’d like yet but has worked hard to understand his car and fine-tune his settings: “It was the first day in Melbourne. Overall, not a bad day.”
“We had our ups and downs, but there were positive signs. We’ll take a look and see what we can find for tomorrow, but it’s nice to drive at home. We have a few points to review and work on, but I’m optimistic.”
Piastri reveals that he and Norris are using similar setups: “We’re quite similar, trying different things but it’s pretty standard. We’ll see what worked best tonight ahead of qualifying.”
“It’s very tight this year. If we optimize and are a bit faster, we’ll be right at the front; if we’re where we were in FP2, we’ll be at the back of the top 10. So it’s like in the last races.”
McLaren’s Mixed Day: Strong in FP1, Falls in FP2. McLaren’s Mixed Day: Strong in FP1, Falls in FP2
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