Norris and McLaren hail 'productive' first day of testing

McLaren and pacesetter Lando Norris couldn't have wished for a better start to pre-season testing, with team and driver hailing a "productive" first day of work in Barcelona.

Norris worked diligently through the day's programme, getting acquainted with McLaren's new-spec car while assessing various settings and reeling in a healthy 102 laps.

Late in the day, as his comfort level grew, the Briton undertook a series of flyers with Pirelli's Soft C4 compound bolted on to the MCL36 and duly outpaced both Ferrari drivers to set the fastest time of the day.

"I didn’t want to be P1, if anything I’d rather be last," joked Norris, looking back on his day. "Because now the expectations are so high, and everyone thinks we’re incredible!

"It’s nice to be in the car again and get to push the limit," he added. "It’s nice to have a change and it was a productive day.

"We learned a lot of things for the team, and we got all the information we wanted to.

"We can now compare it back to the simulator and the wind tunnel. A good day, and a good start to this test."

As he put his new car through its paces, Norris noted the extra weight carried by F1's new-spec cars and the "sluggish" feeling it produces.

“The weight makes a massive difference for just the driving, how the car reacts,” he said. “It's a lot heavier than it was last season. So it just feels a bit slower, a bit more sluggish.

“It's like running with the race fuel of last season before almost a qualifying lap in a way. You do feel it in like the braking and certain areas. The performance is not quite the same.

“But it shouldn't be too long [to adjust] and I think by the end of the day, you're a little bit more used to it and it feels almost normal again.”

• Read also: Norris puts McLaren on top in first Barcelona test day

McLaren technical director James Key was equally delighted with how the day had unfolded, emphasizing the supreme reliability, not only of the papaya squad's car but also of the majority of the machines in the field.

"It’s remarkable how many laps have been completed by teams today, considering how new these cars are, and how much there is to learn," said Key.

"It’s good to see F1 getting winter testing off to such a positive start.

"This has been a productive first day for us," he added. "We’re not taking any notice of lap times at the moment, it’s all about learning and following our own directions and priorities.

"We gathered some important data points during this first day of testing and learned a great deal, both to carry forward for the rest of this test and also to use as we develop the car further.

"Like many teams, we undertook initial runs with aero rakes on the car this morning which provided some useful initial correlation data.

"Aerodynamics is the biggest change with the ’22 cars so it is important to take some basic initial measurements at an early stage.

"Through the rest of the day, we did a fair amount of set-up and exploratory work, beginning to understand the car and the tyres a step at a time.

"I think we can be pleased with the number of laps we’ve covered with Lando today and look forward to going again with Daniel tomorrow."

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