Lando Norris has completed his first laps behind the wheel of the McLaren MCL40 during the 2026 Barcelona F1 shakedown. The British team and their newly crowned world champion driver finally took to the track with their 2026 car, with eyes on Norris as he made his debut roughly two hours after the start of the session.
The MCL40 ran in a special livery for this week’s testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The full 2026 design and championship livery will only be revealed on February 9, just two days before the second phase of testing in Bahrain. McLaren made their track debut on the third day of the Barcelona test, meaning they will also run sessions on Thursday and Friday.
It’s important to note that teams are only allowed to participate on three of the five testing days, and the choice of which days to run is left entirely to each team. Unpredictable weather initially delayed the MCL40’s track debut, but Norris and McLaren are now committed to the remainder of the testing programme.
First feedback from Lando Norris on the MCL40
The initial day of McLaren’s Barcelona test was exclusively driven by Lando Norris, who proudly displayed the #1 on his car. Speaking about the first laps, the British driver shared his excitement: “It was the first time everyone could see the car fully assembled. It wasn’t mounted until this morning, so it was an incredible experience. It’s great to see everything coming together, to see the hard work everyone has put into building this car, and then I get to enjoy driving it. It turned out to be a very enjoyable day.”
The team was on track for the first time with the MCL40, collecting initial feedback on the car’s behaviour: “Today was mainly a first introduction to the car. We focused on understanding how it works and went over every detail. It was a productive day, but mainly we were trying to understand things, making sure everything is functioning as it should, and forming a first overall impression.”
Getting a feel for the MCL40
The 2026 cars are significantly different, and the first laps allow both the team and the drivers to familiarise themselves with the new generation of machinery. The Barcelona test is particularly useful for this, giving drivers a head start in learning the systems and car behaviour before heading to Bahrain.
Lando Norris commented on the car’s characteristics: “It’s quite different. I think it feels a bit slower in corners, but in terms of acceleration and top speed on the straights, it probably feels faster than last year.”
He added: “In many areas it’s a little more challenging, which is good, but we also need to understand more about the battery and the power unit. All of these systems are in some ways more complex and just different. Every time something is different, it takes a bit of time to figure out the best way to approach it, manage it, and use it effectively.”
Despite the learning curve, Lando Norris believes the team has already achieved a strong understanding of the MCL40’s design and operation, giving McLaren a solid start to their 2026 preparation.
Lando Norris’s first outing in the McLaren MCL40 confirms that the 2026 technical regulations have indeed shifted the driving dynamic, trading cornering agility for raw straight-line acceleration and a more complex power management puzzle. While the world champion’s initial feedback highlights the “challenging” nature of the new machinery, McLaren’s ability to hit the ground running suggests a strong baseline for the Woking team as they defend their titles. With two more days of running in Barcelona, the focus will now shift from basic system checks to mastering the intricate battery deployment that Norris identified as a key differentiator.
Leave a Reply