McLaren name 'absolute' Lando Norris priority after 'significant' setback

McLaren has named ensuring Lando Norris gets the maximum possible track time in FP3 at the Spanish Grand Prix as its "absolute priority."

Norris missed all of FP2 at the Madring - aside from two slow laps - with a gearbox issue, reporting that the process of losing it, the 'box had gone into 'false neutral.' 

It means the world champion has lost one-third of the total practice time available at the new Spanish GP venue, and will be on the backfoot heading into FP3, where he must condense his qualifying simulations and race pace runs into the sole hour remaining. 

Reflecting on the tough day, McLaren's engineering technical director, performance, Mark Temple explained that the team's priority was to ensure Norris maximised that sole remaining hour as it also worked through a "deep dive" to put the MCL40 into a competitive performance window. 

"Today presented a significant challenge, particularly with the gearbox issue that cost Lando a substantial amount of track time in FP2," Temple explained.

"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 analyse a wider variety of potential changes than usual to ensure we can give both drivers a more competitive package for qualifying. Maximising Lando's track time in FP3 will be our absolute priority to help him recover."