Oscar Piastri has started McLaren’s pre-season testing in Bahrain. The Australian debutant has been on the track since this morning and has completed 52 laps. In the afternoon he was replaced by Lando Norris – the Briton lost more than an hour due to car problems, but eventually he was able to get on track and complete 40 laps of the distance, setting the fifth fastest time at the end of the day.
Lando Norris (5e): “Not a bad first day. It’s great to get back on track, do a few laps and get a first impression of the car – I’m happy about that.
Not to say that the session went smoothly – there were some glitches, but we completed most of the planned program and tested the key elements, gathering information that we will continue to work on for the next two days.
I already feel more comfortable in the car after we corrected a few minor things and started optimizing a few things. Testing is going well and I’m looking forward to getting behind the wheel again tomorrow.”
Oscar Pistri (18th): “My first morning of testing went without a hitch – a good start to the season. We did everything we wanted to, which is great, and focused on gaining speed and getting used to the new generation of cars.
There is a lot to learn and a lot to improve, but I think I can do it. It’s fun to do a few laps – I felt pretty comfortable. I look forward to the next sessions to learn and add more about the car.”
Andrew Stella, Team Leader: “Productive day in Bahrain, which largely went according to plan. There were a few minor issues, but this is a known situation for testing. Most importantly, we collected a lot of information and tested a lot.
We had to stay in the pits for a bit because the team wanted to strengthen the body kit of the car to prevent breakage. These were preventative measures, but we thought it would be helpful to take them to complete them safely and securely before the end of the session.
In general, the day went positively. We hope to continue on the same footing on the second and third day and prepare for the first race of the season.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
