Piastri: McLaren heading to Melbourne ‘in decent shape’

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri is heading into the 2025 Formula 1 season opener in Melbourne with quiet confidence, buoyed by the MCL39’s near-flawless pre-season testing in Bahrain.

The reigning world champions capped their three-day test with Piastri posting the fourth-fastest time on Friday afternoon, clocking 84 laps.

While teammate Lando Norris and team principal Andrea Stella echoed the optimism, all three emphasized there’s still work ahead before everyone reconvenes in Melbourne in less than two weeks.

With a reliable car and a mountain of data to sift through, McLaren’s sights are set on a strong homecoming for Piastri.

Piastri’s Positive Take

Piastri, reflecting on the MCL39’s performance, highlighted its reliability as a launchpad.

“I think it was a productive three days. We tried a lot of things and learnt a lot,” he said.

“Some things felt quite good, others still need improvement but working through this is exactly what testing is for.

“The car ran pretty much faultlessly, which was a solid place to be starting from. We've got a lot to review before Melbourne, but I think we’re going into it in decent shape.”

His 84 laps underscored the car’s consistency, even if perfection remains a work in progress.

Norris Battles the Elements

Lando Norris, who drove the morning session, faced trickier conditions but still ticked off key objectives.

“Much trickier conditions on track this morning with the wind and temperature,” he noted. “Once I was comfortable, we were able to work through our plan and collect more data.

“We’ll now put it all together and look through everything we’ve completed over the last few days to make sure we’re ready for Melbourne.”

The Briton’s 57 laps and 11th-place finish reflected a focus on process over outright pace, setting the stage for deeper analysis.

Stella’s Strategic Outlook

Stella praised the team’s efforts and the early promise displayed from the outset by McLaren’s MCL39.

“We completed our aero tests this morning, before giving both Lando and Oscar a chance for some runs to allow them to gain insight into the capabilities of the car before we head to Australia,” commented the Italian.

“We also took the opportunity to make some further set-up changes as we continue to learn about the characteristics of the MCL39.

“The team here and in Woking have done a great job of bringing our new car to the track and allowing us to maximise all of the time available to us this week.

“We have plenty to analyse and work on before the first race of the season in two weeks' time.”

For Stella, it’s all about fine-tuning for the fight ahead. With the MCL39 running smoothly and data in hand, McLaren’s Melbourne prep is in full swing – decent shape, indeed, but not resting on laurels.

• Read also: Russell edges Verstappen in final Bahrain F1 test session

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