The Japan weekend seems like a closed chapter for McLaren, which, on Friday in Bahrain, returned to impress. The papaya team outpaced its rivals in both FP1 and, especially, in FP2, where they gave George Russell, the first pursuer, a four-tenth gap. The day seemed positive, but differing opinions arose between Norris and Piastri.
The first free practice session saw many drivers complain about the track conditions, which were too dirty and had little grip due to the high temperatures. Therefore, the FP1 results can be considered somewhat unrepresentative. However, one key point already emerged: McLaren topped the session with Lando Norris, while Oscar Piastri finished in the top 10.
The situation was different in FP2, when, with a cooler track, the papaya team could finally shine. The car seemed to lose a bit in the straights, but in the slower parts of the circuit, it left the competitors behind, who seemed far off.
At the end of the session, McLaren finished first with Oscar Piastri and second with Norris, beating Russell and Leclerc, the first pursuers, by four-tenths. Even in the race pace, it seemed like McLaren had the potential to dominate on Sunday.
“I’m quite happy, honestly,” confirmed Oscar Piastri. “The car seemed in good condition. Of course, with the heat, it was very different from the tests, but I think we put everything together. We were strong in qualifying, and the long run was decent too, so we’re pretty happy. There are still some things to work on to improve, but overall, it was a good day.”
Norris Going Against the Grain Everything seemed to go smoothly for the team, yet Norris’ words were somewhat at odds with those of his Australian teammate and with the general feel. The British driver, however, was mostly referring to the change in the track conditions between the preseason tests and Friday’s session.
“How did it feel in the car? Shocking,” said Lando Norris. “I think it was tough for everyone today compared to the tests. The test was a dream, today was horrible. It wasn’t easy, I don’t think it will be an exciting race because the degradation is crazy compared to the tests.”
“It was a day where everything could feel terrible, but looking at the results, the times seem decent, so a decent Friday. The temperatures are very high, there’s wind, which made a big difference compared to the tests.”
“The big challenge will be to get the rear tires working as best as possible,” continued the 1999-born driver. “We came here with a lot of information from the preseason test, but basically, we have to throw it all away because today we were a second off the times we were doing. So, difficult, a good starting point, but there’s still work to be done,” concluded the papaya driver.
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