McLaren reveals issue that halted Piastri's testing

McLaren's pre-season testing hit a snag when Oscar Piastri was forced to sit out the entire afternoon session on Thursday after the team discovered a fuel system problem with its new MCL40 car. The issue limited the team to just 48 laps in the morning, bringing its two-day total to 124 laps as it prepares for the 2026 season.

Why it matters:

Pre-season testing is a critical, limited window for teams to gather data and build reliability ahead of the first race. Any significant mechanical issue, especially one that costs half a day of running, directly impacts the team's preparation and understanding of its new car. For McLaren, which is aiming to build on a strong previous season, maximizing every track minute is essential to fine-tune its package and start the year competitively.

The details:

• The problem emerged on the fourth day of testing at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, during Piastri's first day in the 2026 car.
• After teammate Lando Norris completed the car's initial shakedown on Wednesday, Piastri managed 48 laps in the Thursday morning session before the fuel system fault was identified.
• The discovery led the team to keep the car in the garage for the entire afternoon for investigation and repairs, sacrificing valuable track time.

What's next:

McLaren has one final day of testing on Friday to recover the lost time and complete its program. The team plans to split the day between Norris and Piastri, giving each driver half a day in the car. The focus will now be on verifying the fix for the fuel system issue while cramming in as much performance and long-run data as possible before the season begins.