Piastri admits McLaren still lacking pace after difficult Madrid Friday

Oscar Piastri has admitted McLaren is lacking pace after a difficult opening day at the Madrid Ring, the new venue hosting the Spanish Grand Prix. The Australian finished eighth in FP1 and improved to seventh in FP2, cutting his deficit to the front from more than a second to 0.538s as Mercedes and Ferrari set the early benchmark.

Why it matters:

A new circuit makes every lap count, and McLaren arrived in Madrid chasing answers after struggling to match the front-runners. With Lando Norris losing almost all of FP2 to a gearbox issue, the team is already on the back foot for qualifying — and on a track where driver confidence is hard to build, that lost data could prove costly.

The Details:

• Piastri's FP1 was interrupted when he reported something loose inside the cockpit, forcing McLaren to call him back to the garage early. He still completed 22 laps.
• He returned for FP2 and managed 24 laps, but Kimi Antonelli's benchmark of 1m33.662s left the McLaren more than half a second behind.
• Tyre management: Piastri says graining will be a major factor this weekend, making consistency the key challenge around the street-style layout.
• Norris's setback: The reigning champion was sixth in FP1, 0.870s off George Russell, but ground to a halt after just two laps in FP2 due to a gearbox problem. McLaren began a change but couldn't get him back out.
• Team reaction: Performance director Mark Temple called the issue "a big setback" on a technically demanding circuit, with high temperatures and low grip compounding the lack of running.

What's next:

McLaren's priority is clear: maximize Norris's track time in FP3 before qualifying. Piastri says the team will work overnight to find more time, but the signs from Friday suggest a tough fight to break into the top group. FP3 begins at 8.30pm AEST on Saturday.