McLaren’s milestone weekend has not gone entirely to plan.
The team’s 1,000th Formula 1 Grand Prix is proving to be a challenging one so far, with both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri struggling to find the pace expected from the papaya squad around the streets of Monaco.
The difficulties continued during the third and final practice session. Oscar Piastri could manage only the sixth-fastest time, while reigning World Champion Lando Norris ended FP3 down in ninth place, more than 1.2 seconds adrift of the benchmark lap set by Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
McLaren’s preparations for qualifying were further complicated by technical issues that emerged on Norris’ car during Friday’s FP2 session. As a result, the team led by Andrea Stella elected to replace the MGU-K on the Briton’s MCL40.
Fortunately for Norris, the change will not result in a grid penalty. The replacement unit comes from the pool of three MGU-Ks that each driver is permitted to use during the season, meaning the swap remains within the regulations and carries no sporting consequences.
Component changes for Albon and Perez as well
Williams has also carried out preventative work ahead of qualifying. Alex Albon’s FW48 received a new battery and new control electronics, with the Thai driver likewise avoiding any grid penalty as both components remain within the allowed allocation.
Another component replacement was also confirmed on a Ferrari-powered car, this time at Cadillac. According to the official FIA documentation released before qualifying, the American team replaced an auxiliary component of the power unit on Sergio Perez’s car.
As with the changes made by McLaren and Williams, the replacement on Sergio Perez‘s Cadillac does not exceed the permitted component limits, meaning no penalty has been applied and the Mexican driver will retain his original grid position for Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix.
Leave a Reply