With an Anonymous McLaren, Lando Norris Hopes for More Than “Reasonable” Performance: “Wasn’t One of the Smoothest”

The first day of Bahrain Pre-Season testing was uneventful for McLaren. The team which has made enough news for itself even before the inception of 2023, couldn’t make heads turn during the testing. All eyes were on the Woking outfit which had unceremoniously replaced the F1’s smiling beast, Daniel Ricciardo. However, the supposed developmental steps were not translated on track yesterday. To add to that, the first day of school after winter break wasn’t a happening one for the older man at the orange team, Lando Norris.

McLaren clocked in 92 laps at the testing session after an issue with the wheel brow on Norris’s car, which needed a lengthy stint in the garage to get fixed. The number of laps was the lowest of every team on the grid. Though this may not seem like something which will make hell break loose for the Woking outfit, with the limited testing time, it surely is a bump. The underwhelming start for the team was not foreseeable by anyone, even the drivers, but brushing it off as it was only the first day. Norris tries to look at the glass half full.

As quoted by Motorsports Turkey, Norris said, “It’s been a reasonable first day for us. It was nice to get back on the track, have a good amount of laps and get the first feeling of the car.”

He further added, “It wasn’t one of the smoothest days with a few minor glitches here and there, but we’ve completed most of the plan and were able to test some key things. We can learn more lessons in the coming days and start making some changes already. I think the first day has been positive and I can’t wait to get back on track tomorrow.”

Read More: “The Lowest Point”: McLaren’s Latest Advances Towards Red Bull Saddens the Papaya Army

The veteran at McLaren stays hopeful and following suit is the Australian rookie, Oscar Piastri who finished towards the rear end of the charts.

Lando Norris’s teammate Oscar Piastri didn’t make heads turn

Probably going with the slow and steady wins the race motto, Piastri had a rather passive start. The man who had already made the headlines several times due to the Alpine-McLaren tug of war over him couldn’t sweep the audience off their feet. However, he remains hopeful.

After the first day of testing, Piastri said, “We started the season well, as my first test went pretty smoothly,” said Piastri. I still have a lot to learn and work to do, but I think I’m heading there.”

He further added, “It was nice to have a few laps and everything felt pretty comfortable. I’m looking forward to the next few sessions to continue to improve and learn more about the car.” 

Watch This Story: F1 Stars Max Verstappen & Lando Norris Go Wild With Their Girlfriends in Monaco

What did you think of McLaren’s performance on the first day of testing? Do you think their Piastri gamble will pay off?