After a satisfactory first half of pre-season in Barcelona, McLaren has started the Bahrain test with difficulties. A brake problem is joined by the absence of Daniel Ricciardo due to illness.
Laughter goes through neighborhoods and in Bahrain Alpine and McLaren They are being the teams with the most problems when it comes to shooting without problems.
While Fernando Alonso’s team was unable to make the most of the afternoon due to an unspecified mechanical problem, McLaren was also unable to accumulate many laps (50) as a result of a problem with the brakes.
“We will have to make commitments to allow ourselves to shoot more”
Specifically, the MCL36 piloted by Lando Norris overheated them, preventing the British from making long runs. “We have problems with the brakes, that simple. I’m not really sure what the exact problem is, just temperatures and stuff. He didn’t allow us to do long runs.”
Although McLaren is already working to solve the problem at one of the most demanding circuits with the brakes due to the high amount of hard braking and the high temperatures, Norris admits that it is not to be expected that there will be a short term solution.
“There are things that we are trying to fix for the next few days, it’s not going to be an easy fix. We’ll see what we can do. Everyone is working hard to fix it,” Norris reiterates.
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“We hope to get things resolved soon, but obviously it’s not something that’s easy to fix. We will have to make compromises to allow us to shoot more, for sure. The boys are already working on it », she confirms.
Daniel Ricciardo
Another problem McLaren has to deal with is the disease of Daniel Ricciardo, who could not get into the car on Thursday and neither this morning.
This is because the Australian driver is unwell and has symptoms of a cold, although the team has confirmed that all COVID tests have been negative.
“He still does not feel well, but he is resting, he is sleeping and we will see if he is better tomorrow (for today)”, pointed out Lando Norris. If possible, Ricciardo will get on the MCL36 this afternoon and tomorrow.
Photos: McLaren Racing