McLaren Admits Sepang Caught Them Off Guard — Piastri Sees Friday-to-Friday Progress
McLaren’s senior racing director Randy Singh didn’t dress it up: Sepang’s track turned out considerably lower-grip and rougher than expected, and it caught the team a little off guard. The result was a rough first practice, with Oscar Piastri down in 11th and Lando Norris 12th.
The afternoon at least clawed some of that back. “I think we struggled getting the car in a good window in FP1, but a lot of good work at the track, and at the factory, in FP2,” Singh explained. The numbers backed him up: Piastri jumped to sixth, Norris climbed to third.
Piastri himself didn’t sugarcoat the morning: “We definitely looked better in FP2 than FP1. FP1 we were struggling a lot, to be honest.” The Australian offered a cautiously upbeat read on where McLaren now sits: “I think we’re maybe a tiny step behind, but we made a lot of progress from FP1.” Among the main threats, he named Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari — company McLaren clearly isn’t content to just keep pace with.
Source: Formula1.com
