McLaren have confirmed a gearbox issue sidelined Lando Norris for the entirety of Free Practice 2 at the Spanish Grand Prix, with Technical Director for Performance Mark Temple describing the lost running as “a big setback” for the reigning World Champion.
Norris Limited to Two Laps in FP2
Drivers and teams sampled the new Madring layout for the first time on Friday. The circuit’s hybrid configuration—part street circuit, part purpose-built facility—presented an immediate challenge, making every minute of track time critical for data gathering. Norris completed only two laps in the second session before pulling his MCL39 into the garage with a mechanical problem that the team could not resolve before the checkered flag.
McLaren Response: Focus on FP3 Recovery
Speaking after the session, Temple outlined the scale of the deficit and the plan for Saturday’s final practice hour.
“Gearbox problem for Lando, that’s obviously a big setback for him,” said Mark Temple, McLaren’s Technical Director for Performance, after the session. “Going into FP3 we’ll be trying to do as much as we can to give him back track time.
“It was as expected, a very technical, tough track for the drivers, trying to find their way and learn the track. Deal with the very hot temperatures on the tyres. For sure track time for Lando will be very important tomorrow.”
Mixed Friday for McLaren
The British driver had shown competitive pace earlier in the day, finishing sixth in FP1—just under nine tenths adrift of George Russell’s pace-setting Mercedes. By contrast, team-mate Oscar Piastri completed a full programme, ending the day seventh and eighth across the two sessions as he worked to master the new venue.
Piastri Highlights Balance and Tyre Management Struggle
The Australian identified car balance and thermal management as the primary hurdles on a layout that demands a compromised set-up for both straight-line speed and high-speed corners.
“I felt like we got a bit closer in FP2, which was good, but we’re still lacking a bit of pace it seems,” he said.
“We’ll try and improve, it’s been an interesting day learning a new circuit. It’s certainly tough to get on top of but it’s been a day full of learning. Hopefully we can find a bit more tomorrow.
“Trying to extract the performance on a street circuit like this is pretty challenging. That’s the biggest thing for us at the moment. Hopefully tomorrow we can make things a bit easier and find just a bit more consistency and a bit more ability to get that time out of the car.”
With Norris facing a compressed preparation window in FP3, McLaren’s priority shifts to maximizing his limited running ahead of qualifying, while Piastri’s data will be crucial for refining the baseline set-up on a circuit where tyre temperature and consistency are proving decisive.
