MCLAREN 2026 BAHRAIN PRE-SEASON TEST 2 – DAY 1 REPORT

MEDIA RELEASE/McLaren – Photos: supplied

The McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team today returned to the Bahrain International Circuit to continue their pre-season preparations, completing 124 laps of running on Day 1 of Formula 1’s Bahrain Pre-Season Test 2.

Lando Norris took the MCL40 out onto the track in the opening session, covering a total of distance of 292.248km with 54 laps recorded.

Utilising opportunities with this morning’s slightly cooler Sakhir temperatures and environment, the team’s scheduled programme focused on higher-value setup and systems work to get a better understanding of the car’s operation and performance in different conditions. This saw Lando complete successful laps working with different power unit modes and settings across both his long and short runs, while also experiencing Pirelli’s C1, C2 and C3 tyres, giving the 2025 Drivers’ World Champion further insight into what managing the car could feel like this season.

While running to a similar programme, Oscar Piastri’s time in the car saw warmer track temperatures throughout the afternoon, which provided good overall learnings for both him and the team. Oscar completed 70 laps in total covering 378.840 km, which included various planned rake runs, maximising learning across a range of aerodynamic setups. In line with his teammate’s time on track, the Australian driver worked with a range of Pirelli tyres alongside the addition of the C4 compound.

With valuable data presented throughout the day for both the team trackside and in Woking, work will be undertaken to unlock additional performance gains throughout the remainder of the week, with a focus on final learnings and further exploitation of the power unit.

Both drivers return to action tomorrow for Day 2 of Formula 1’s Bahrain Pre-Season Test 2. Lando will pilot the MCL40 throughout the morning session, with Oscar taking to the wheel throughout the afternoon.

Oscar Piastri #81

Laps: 70 (235.400 miles/378.840km)

Best lap time: 1m33.469s (+0.010s), 2nd 

“Overall, it has been a productive day. My running in the afternoon felt solid and we made good progress. The conditions were different today to last week, with some warmer temperatures in my session combined with different wind conditions, so it was good to be able get that experience in the car. I am feeling more comfortable with each lap, so am looking forward to getting back out on track tomorrow afternoon.”

Lando Norris #1

Laps: 54 (181.594 miles/292.248km)

Best lap time: 1m34.052s (+0.593s), 4th 

“We got some good laps under our belts this morning, working though varying runs and getting more comfortable in the car. Conditions today were a bit different to last week, with the changing wind as well as the slightly cooler temperatures this morning compared to this afternoon, giving us a little bit more grip. We’re learning more each day, but there are still a lot of things to get our heads around, so we’ll keep putting the car through its paces in the last two days of testing.” 

Mark Temple Technical Director – Performance

“Another productive day in Bahrain, the first of the second and final test in Sakhir. As with every day at track this pre-season, we have focused on getting as much information out of the MCL40 as possible to continue our early learnings and developments.

“Today’s running has seen useful track time in changing conditions. For Lando’s morning session, the wind had a bigger effect on our car from corner to corner, with temperatures also being slightly cooler than Oscar experienced in the afternoon. This has given us more understanding of the MCL40’s operation and performance in different circumstances. The variety of long and short runs and working through different tyres and power unit modes has given us more important data to work with as we look to unlock further gains across the remainder of the week.

“As each day on track is complete, Lando and Oscar are getting more comfortable in the cars and together with the team, we are learning more and more about exploiting and maximising the performance potential in the package, both chassis and power unit side. Overall, we are still learning with each lap but that’s a good sign that we’re making solid progress, and we know that there is still a lot more to come over the final few days of testing.”

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