After two days of preseason Formula 1 testing in Bahrain, McLaren missed some targets with the MCL60 and they need to pick up the pace, team boss Zak Brown told reporters on Friday.
Lando Norris and rookie teammate Oscar Piastri have not had an easy time in testing at the Sakhir circuit that hosts the March 5 season-opener, with their 2023 F1 car well down the timing screens.
Asked whether the team were worried about starting on the back foot, Brown said it was hard to know where things stood but recognised there were “teething problems” and “testing bugs” on Thursday.
“We know we set some goals for development which we didn’t hit. We felt it was better to be honest about that We, like everyone, have a lot of development coming so we are encouraged at what we see around the corner. But I think we will be going into the first race off of our projected targets and hard to really know where that means we’ll be on the grid,” added the American.
New McLaren team principal, Andrea Stella summed up Friday: “It was a positive day for the team. The car has been reliable, and we have recovered some of the mileage we were short of yesterday.”
Stella: Not entirely happy
As for the drivers, Stella said: “Lando went through some basic tests in the morning which weren’t performance focused. We have also saved the soft tyres for day three where Lando will run in conditions which are more representative of a race weekend.
“Oscar’s runs today have been more focused on the race weekend preparation with a range of different setups. We are happy we have achieved all these objectives on day two and look forward to a positive final test day on track tomorrow,” added Stella.
McLaren, who had brake problems before last year’s opener, had flagged up issues already at the launch of the new car this month.
Stella said then that he was optimistic the car would be a good step up on last year’s but he was “not entirely happy” with it: “Over the course of the season we would like to establish ourselves as part of the top four.”
“We know realistically that, with the top three teams, this may mean just being the fourth-best car over the course of the season.”
Brown also added that rookie Piastri, the 21-year-old who has replaced compatriot Daniel Ricciardo, was settling in well and the team were impressed with him.
McLaren finished last season fifth overall in the F1 constructors’ standings, behind Renault-owned Alpine, after ending fourth the previous year. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin); Additional reporting GP247)