Uphill start
Lando Norris and McLaren’s Madrid weekend started very badly. Already in FP1 the reigning world champion appeared far from the fight for the top, finishing the session in sixth position more than eight tenths behind George Russell’s best time; however, the situation worsened significantly during FP2, when the #1 of the papaya team was forced to stay stationary in the pits for almost the entire session due to a technical problem found on his MCL40.
Gearbox failure
As later communicated in an official note from the team itself, the mechanics discovered a gearbox problem on Norris’s car that forced the replacement of the component. “We identified an issue on Lando’s car that requires a gearbox change. We are working to try and get Lando back on track before the end of the session, although the time available is really short”, reported the team led by Andrea Stella.
We identified an issue on Lando’s car, which requires a gearbox change. We are working to try and get Lando back out before the end of the session, although time is very tight.#McLarenF1 | #OKXxMcLarenF1 | #SpanishGP 🇪🇸
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— McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team (@McLarenF1) September 11, 2026
The failure to run FP2 is a hard blow for Norris, especially on a new and so complicated track like Madrid’s. This lost hour of track time risks compromising his entire weekend and McLaren’s hopes of challenging Mercedes, Ferrari, and Verstappen for a podium spot.
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