McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has revealed that the outfit is "missing" crucial long run data, following a disruptive start to this weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Both first and second practice in Sin City were largely unrepresentative, due to poor track conditions.
The drivers were met with a dusty and slippery surface as they first ventured out onto the Strip Circuit, before light rain fell before FP2.
While the circuit remained dry, it made the surface incredibly slippery once again. It meant no accurate long run data was gathered due to the conditions, while short run data was also not gained.
Two red flags were flown in the final 20 minutes of FP2, both due to a manhole cover being reported as lose, firstly by a marshal, and then by race control personnel.
Lando Norris did end the opening day as fastest, although nobody set a true qualifying simulation lap time on the soft compound.
"This track requires intense work to fine-tune the car and find the right reference points for the drivers," said Stella.
"It is therefore important to try to make the most of all the time available in Free Practice, which only happened today in the first of the two sessions.
"In the second one, light rain at the beginning and then a couple of Red Flags in the final part made the work of all the teams much more disrupted.
"In particular, the information that is normally gathered during long runs is missing."
While Norris was quickest, his car often looked unsettled across both practice sessions with him having endured several skirmishes with the walls.
As confirmed by Stella, McLaren still has to find the right setup for its car, especially as the circuit does not suit its characteristics.
Stella added: "For our part, we know that there is still work to be done to adjust the setup of the car: we know that the characteristics of the track and the conditions in which we are racing are not the best for us, but we will do our utmost to put the drivers in the best possible position to fully exploit the potential available."
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