Norris on the back foot after gearbox issue limits Madring track time

Lando Norris says his lack of running in FP2 has left him “clearly on the back foot” at the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, as he missed out on track time at a brand-new new venue.

The defending champion was sixth fastest in the opening practice session but over 0.8s off the pace set by George Russell, and felt there was work to do to improve the car for the second hour of running. On his first run, Norris reported a gearbox issue and returned to the pits, whereupon McLaren decided a change of gearbox was required and Norris ran out of time to get back out on track.

“A tricky day, it was good to get the laps in this morning, where we identified a few changes we needed to make to the car, but ultimately we didn't get the chance to make any progress in FP2 due to a gearbox issue,” Norris said.

“Whenever you come to a new circuit, track time is very important, so we're clearly on the back foot having missed FP2. We'll work hard overnight looking at the data from FP1, from Oscar’s [Piastri] car and the teams around us, and make sure we get as much learning as we can in FP3.

“Otherwise, it was good to get the first laps done here in Madrid, it's an interesting circuit and I'm looking forward to getting some more laps in ahead of qualifying tomorrow.”

McLaren’s technical director of performance Mark Temple said it’s not just Norris but the entire team that is hampered by the disrupted running on a new track.

“Today presented a significant challenge, particularly with the gearbox issue that cost Lando a substantial amount of track time in FP2,” Temple said. “It's a big setback on a new and technically demanding circuit like this, where every lap is crucial for gathering data. The conditions are tough for everyone, with high temperatures and low grip, so losing that running time certainly puts us on the back foot heading into Saturday.

“Our focus tonight is on a deep dive into the data to see where we can unlock more performance. The car isn't quite where we want it to be, but we have some clear ideas on both the chassis and driver side to explore. We'll be working hard to analyze a wider variety of potential changes than usual to ensure we can give both drivers a more competitive package for qualifying. Maximizing Lando's track time in FP3 will be our absolute priority to help him recover.”