McLaren admits 'big setback' as Norris gearbox failure wipes out crucial FP2 running in Madrid

Norris had completed just two installation laps at the start of the hour-long session at F1's newest circuit, the Madring in Madrid, when he reported the gearbox in his McLaren had gone into "false neutral."

McLaren later confirmed that it "had identified an issue on his car, which requires a gearbox change," adding that it was "working to try and get Lando back out before the end of the session, although time is very tight." The team ultimately ran out of time, and the world champion has lost one-third of the total practice time available at the new Spanish GP venue.

McLaren's Technical Director for Performance, Mark Temple, acknowledged the scale of the problem after Friday's running.

"It's a big setback on a new and technically demanding circuit like this, where every lap is crucial for gathering data," he said. "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."

Temple said McLaren's focus overnight would be "a deep dive into the data to see where we can unlock more performance," adding: "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."

Meanwhile, Piastri completed 24 laps in FP2 to place seventh, with the world champion explaining how he would be relying on the Australian's data to aid his own understanding.

"Whenever you come to a new circuit, track time is very important, so we're clearly on the back foot having missed FP2," Norris said. "We'll work hard overnight looking at the data from FP1, from Oscar's car and the teams around us, and make sure we get as much learning as we can in FP3."

Even with a full day of running, Piastri admitted the MCL40 is not yet where it needs to be. "I felt like we got a bit closer in FP2, which was good, but we're still lacking a bit of pace it seems," the Australian said. "We'll try and improve, it's been an interesting day learning a new circuit. It's certainly tough to get on top of but it's been a day full of learning."

He highlighted tyre graining as a key concern, saying: "Once you settle into a rhythm it's a pretty enjoyable one to drive but tyre management is going to be a tough one, as we have a lot of graining."

With qualifying on Saturday afternoon and only one hour of FP3 remaining, McLaren faces a compressed preparation window at a circuit that has already proven punishing.

As GPblog reported, the Madring claimed its first victim in FP2 when Arvid Lindblad crashed heavily at Turn 13, a reminder of how demanding the new layout is for every team on the grid.