Lando Norris' opening day of running at the Canadian Grand Prix was a frustrating mix of highs and lows, leaving the McLaren driver with a lack of clarity on his car’s performance.
The Briton topped the wet-to-dry first practice session, leading the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, but FP2 was a different story altogether.
Amidst another mix of dry and wet conditions, the session turned sour for Norris who ended up a lowly P20 and last on the timesheet.
The challenging blend of conditions throughout the day meant teams ran different programs, making it difficult to gauge true performance.
This left Norris frustrated, particularly about the lack of data gathered in dry conditions.
“Never enough [data], but we learned a good amount… Actually, not in the dry. We didn’t learn enough in the dry, to be honest.
“We did the [fewest] laps, I think, out of everyone [in the dry]… Not the best thing with that, but in the wet a good amount, [we’re] in a reasonable place.”
Norris felt that McLaren was a bit lost in the pecking order.
“At the minute I think we seem a little bit off [the pace]. The Ferraris seem definitely a little bit ahead,” he added.
“I don’t know where we are the minute, because the conditions are changing, so whether you do the first lap when the track’s the best, or the last lap when the track’s the best, it changes everything, but I have no idea.”
Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri, who clocked in sixth in FP1 and 16th in the later afternoon session, was also left with a mixed picture at the end of the day.
“I don’t know if enough is the word I would use, but we learnt a couple of things, I guess,” the Aussie commented. “[It’s] just tricky to know…
“The track’s been resurfaced, so it was good to see what that’s like. It’s still quite bumpy in a few places, but I think overall it’s preserved the character of the track well, which is nice.
“We looked alright on the inters, [but it’s] hard to know otherwise. We were on the mediums when it was dry, so… It’s difficult to know where we sit, but I think everybody’s got the same question.”
The weather forecast in Montreal for the remainder of the weekend called for more rain on Saturday and Sunday, but Piastri wasn’t unduly concerned about his team’s prospects.
“I think it also gives us opportunities,” he added. “I think in the past we’ve generally been good in those kind of conditions, where it’s wet or where it’s quite mixed.
“I think it gives us opportunities as well, but of course, now that we’re fighting at the front in normal conditions, it potentially gives us a bit more to lose and others not as much – but I’m confident that we’ll still be quick no matter the conditions.”
After FP1, Norris and Piastri were both summoned by the stewards for allegedly disregarding the Race Director's instructions regarding proper use of the escape road at Turn 14.
While Norris escaped any penalty, Piastri received a warning for the minor infraction.
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