Mclaren Hit By Fuel-Supply Issue During F1 Testing

McLaren announced on Thursday that they experienced a fuel-supply issue with their Mercedes engine during the penultimate day of pre-season private testing in Barcelona.

After world champion Lando Norris

first drove the new MCL40 on Wednesday, his Australian teammate Oscar Piastri completed 48 laps of the circuit on Thursday morning.

“During the lunch break, the team identified an issue with the fuel system that required extensive investigation,” McLaren said in a statement.

Consequently, their second testing session was cut short.

“There’s a lot of challenges this year up and down the grid, so it was good to get stuck in,” said Piastri. “These cars are completely different to what we’ve had the last few years. That’s part of what this test is about.”

Aston Martin unveiled their new car on Thursday, designed by British engineer Adrian Newey.

Lance Stroll was first to drive it on track, with Spain’s Fernando Alonso set to drive on Friday, according to the team.

With the upcoming season’s technical regulation changes, teams are focusing this week on their cars’ reliability rather than performance.

A clearer picture of each team’s competitive performance will emerge during the two official test sessions in Bahrain in February, ahead of the season-opening Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 8.

(With Agency Inputs)