“We’ve made the most of what we could do today,” Lando Norris and McLaren optimistic, but troubles in Bahrain continue to haunt

“We’ve made the most of what we could do today,” Lando Norris and McLaren optimistic, but troubles in Bahrain continue to haunt

Lando Norris

The troubles for McLaren have been piling up since the team arrived in Bahrain for the second round of pre-season testing. On the first day, when Daniel Ricciardo was to test for the team, he was absent from the garage following his ill health, which is now declared as COVID. The driver will miss the third day of testing but is expected to be present for the Bahrain GP.

Lando Norris has stepped up for the team and has tested for the first days, with eyes set on the third day, giving him plenty of time on the track in the new MCL36. The driver in an official statement by McLaren, said, “It’s been as good a day as it could be. There’s still a few problems that we’re working to resolve so, again, we made the most of what we could today.”

McLaren in Bahrain has been challenged by the issue of overheating brakes. The issue is expected to be resolved only when the team receives the special shipment straight from England within a day. This issue is troubling them as it doesn’t allow the car to do long runs and risks the car catching the fire.

Lando Norris’ view of the Bahrain testing so far

Lando Norris' McLaren MCL36
Lando Norris’ McLaren MCL36

Lando has driven on both days and is ready for the third. The driver spoke of the issues with the car in an official statement by the team, “I don’t have a feeling for the longer runs yet, but on the short runs we’ve made some improvements again and did further aero tests. It’s been difficult with the wind changing so much and the sand getting blown onto the track. Despite the challenges we’ve made the most of what we could do today.”

James Key has set the target for the third day and was appreciative of Lando’s efforts. He said, “Lando’s feedback was precise and helpful, and that allowed us to make good progress today as we evolved our understanding of the car and introduced new developments. We’re looking forward to catching-up on some mileage tomorrow on the final day of pre-season testing, and then turning our focus to the first race of the 2022 season.”

McLaren however is expected to be ready for the racing weekend. The team will be at full strength with the return of Daniel Ricciardo and the final version of the car before the first race of the season.

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