McLaren heads to Sepang looking for an immediate response after a disastrous Azerbaijan Grand Prix that produced zero points, with Lando Norris involved in a crash and Oscar Piastri running wide before slipping down the order and eventually finishing 13th.
The Bahrain Grand Prix, which is not being held at Sakhir and instead takes Formula 1 back to Sepang in Malaysia, gives the Woking team an immediate opportunity to recover. The Baku weekend interrupted a positive run for McLaren that had also delivered two victories for Lando Norris, making the return to Malaysia an important chance to regain momentum.
McLaren faces major Sepang unknown with Norris and Piastri
Sepang, however, must effectively be treated as a new circuit for much of the Formula 1 grid. The last Grand Prix for Formula 1 cars at the Malaysian venue was held in 2017, and neither Lando Norris nor Oscar Piastri has ever driven there in Formula 1. For the two McLaren drivers, as for many others on the current grid, the circuit is therefore a completely new challenge outside simulator preparation.
Randy Singh, McLaren’s Senior Director of Racing, explained: “Returning to Sepang after almost 10 years presents an interesting challenge, especially considering the lack of recent data relating to this generation of cars. We have prepared thoroughly in the simulator, also giving Lando and Oscar time to learn the track; however, uncertainties remain over the accuracy of the circuit models and our understanding of the asphalt, factors that will have a major impact on tyre behaviour.”
The Bahrain Grand Prix weekend at Sepang is set to be particularly interesting because the Malaysian circuit will also represent a significant unknown in terms of electrical energy management. The weekend should therefore offer an early indication of which teams have best prepared for Sepang’s unusual combination of long straights, demanding corners and the characteristics of the new-generation power units.
Friday practice will be crucial for tyres, energy and setup
With so little recent reference data available, Friday practice will take on even greater importance for McLaren than at a more familiar venue. The team will need to validate its simulator work while Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri build up their knowledge of the circuit in real conditions.
“Friday will therefore be fundamental: the drivers will familiarise themselves with the track, while we will work to define the best setup and car configuration, study tyre behaviour and evaluate the overtaking dynamics in the race with this car and the new power units,” Randy Singh said.
McLaren arrives in Malaysia after a difficult Azerbaijan weekend in which the team failed to score. The team’s Baku debrief also provided an important first assessment of the substantial development package introduced on the MCL40. McLaren concluded that the upgrade had worked, “but the full potential will emerge more on circuits that offer a greater variety of technical characteristics.”
That assessment makes Sepang particularly relevant. The Malaysian circuit features a much broader mix of corner types than Baku, giving McLaren another opportunity to understand whether the major MCL40 upgrade package introduced in Azerbaijan can deliver more of the performance the team expects from it.
MCL40 straight-line speed remains an area to address
McLaren has also analysed the Baku data in an effort to address the MCL40’s limitations in terms of top speed. Among the issues that emerged over the course of the weekend was a problem involving the injectors, with Lando Norris also affected by a fuel-injection issue in Baku.
Sepang’s layout should nevertheless be better suited to the requirements of the McLaren package. Randy Singh believes the key will be finding the right compromise between aerodynamic load and efficiency, particularly because the Malaysian track places very different demands on the car from one section to another.
“From a performance point of view,” Randy Singh continued, “Sepang requires a delicate balance between downforce and drag. The long straights reward power and the optimisation of energy deployment, while the variety of corners favours cars with good downforce; it is likely that the teams will focus precisely on that characteristic. After the significant upgrade package introduced in Azerbaijan, we will not bring equally substantial new developments in Malaysia, although we expect to use some bodywork components specific to this circuit.”
That makes Sepang an important follow-up test after McLaren’s zero-point Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Rather than relying on another major upgrade, the team will need to extract more from the MCL40 package already introduced while adapting it to a circuit that asks for both aerodynamic performance through the corners and efficient energy use on the straights.
Tyre degradation and heavy rain add another Sepang challenge
High tyre degradation has traditionally been one of the major strategic factors at Sepang, while the Malaysian weather can create an additional layer of unpredictability. McLaren’s preparations are therefore not limited to car setup and energy deployment, with the possibility of severe afternoon rain also featuring prominently in the team’s planning.
“The prospect of heavy afternoon rain is a significant aspect of our preparation, especially considering that there have not yet been competitive wet sessions under the current regulations and that rainfall at Sepang can be particularly intense,” Randy Singh explained.
For Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, the first laps of Friday practice will therefore be about far more than simply learning the circuit. McLaren must rapidly establish how accurately its simulator work translates to the real Sepang surface, how the tyres behave, how the latest MCL40 package responds to the circuit’s mixed characteristics and how effectively the car can manage energy across one of Formula 1’s most demanding layouts.
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