McLaren making progress at Suzuka: "Every race is an opportunity to improve"

On the notoriously demanding Suzuka circuit, McLaren was primarily looking to regain its bearings after a start to the season marked by problems, including two players not leaving the field. Oscar piastri and one for Lando NorrisThis first day offered an interesting contrast: on the one hand, an encouraging pace over one lap, on the other, driving conditions still far from ideal.

Oscar Piastri, who set the fastest time in the second session, is primarily focused on the work accomplished throughout the day, without getting carried away: “Overall, it was a good day for us. We feel we made good progress, especially in the second free practice session, which is encouraging. The results are positive, and we gathered valuable data that puts us in a good position. We know there is still work to be done, and it's clear that some of our competitors, in particular Mercedes Benz"They are performing very well. However, we are focused on our own performance. We hope to capitalize on the progress made today and continue this momentum to be even more competitive."

This measured approach reflects McLaren's current position: positive signs, but a hierarchy that doesn't appear to have been disrupted. Internally, the objective of the day was clear: to gather data, understand the car, and prepare for future developments within a calendar that leaves little room for testing.

A more difficult day on the other side of the garage

The situation is more frustrating for Lando Norris, who was severely hampered by a hydraulic problem that reduced his running time in FP2. The Briton emphasizes the lack of laps, which is crucial on a track like Suzuka: “It was a difficult day; we weren’t able to complete the number of laps we needed. At the start of FP2, we could barely do more than one lap at a time, and we spent a large part of the morning on aerodynamic testing; so the laps we did manage weren’t really representative. On a circuit like this, you mainly need laps to build confidence and fine-tune the setup, and right now we’re two or three lengths behind, without having been able to do long runs and with very few consecutive laps.”

The McLaren driver nevertheless takes into account the room for improvement available to his team: “That said, we managed to put some things in place at the end and learned a few things, even if it wasn't as much as we would have liked. We'll use the night to refocus, analyze the data we have, and try to correct some things so that we can complete some meaningful laps and get back on track tomorrow.”

"We remain focused on our program."

Randy Singh, McLaren's racing director, assures that the team maintains the same ambition: “Our goal for this weekend is clear: to make the most of every session, score as many points as possible, and continue to acquire the knowledge needed to improve the car. The season has presented us with challenges, but every race is an opportunity to progress. We remain focused on our program and are striving for a flawless weekend to achieve the best possible result.”

After this somewhat mixed first day for the Woking-based team, the main question will remain whether they are able to maintain this pace throughout the weekend, and then for the rest of the season.

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