McLaren's pre-season testing at Barcelona was disrupted on Thursday when a fuel system problem limited Oscar Piastri to just 48 laps. The issue forced the team to halt running and investigate, highlighting the challenges of the new 2026 regulations. While rivals like Mercedes continued strong performances, McLaren emphasized learning from the setback ahead of further tests.
The Formula 1 Barcelona shakedown test, a behind-closed-doors event from Monday to Friday allowing each team three days on track, saw McLaren encounter technical difficulties on Thursday. Oscar Piastri, driving the MCL40, managed only 48 laps in the morning before a fuel system issue sidelined the car for the afternoon. This followed Lando Norris's 62 laps on Wednesday, McLaren's first outing after skipping earlier days to advance development.
Performance technical director Mark Temple described the problem: "It’s a shame we could not run in the afternoon as every minute of track time is precious at such an early stage of the season. We discovered a fuel system problem, which meant we haven’t been able to do all the running we would like. The car is very complex, so we decided to bring the car back into the garage and strip it down to fully understand where the problem is coming from, ahead of tomorrow’s running."
Despite the hiccup, Temple noted positives: "The behaviour and handling of the car is in line with what we thought, so nothing is catching the drivers out. It’s just about learning and getting to know it." Piastri echoed this, saying: "Unfortunately, a few issues today. We had a fuel systems issue which cut our day a bit short, but I know the team is working really hard to get that fixed and get us back out for as many laps as we can tomorrow. We’ve already identified a few things that we can try to improve on the car to make it feel a bit nicer."
Piastri's quickest time was 1m18.419s, nearly two seconds off George Russell's 1m16.445s benchmark for Mercedes, who completed 167 laps that day, reaching 500 total. Ferrari managed 174 laps with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. McLaren's summary acknowledged: "From these very early hours of track time, it looks like some competitors have set a very high bar for performance."
Aston Martin debuted the AMR26 late in the day with Lance Stroll, who completed a few laps before a stoppage. The test introduces new power unit and chassis rules, and McLaren aims to resolve issues for Friday's running and the Bahrain test next month.
