Oscar Piastri\u2019s N\u00fcrburgring F1 debut was cut short by a technical issue as McLaren and Mercedes hit the track for a Pirelli tyre test.<\/p>\n
Formula 1 returned to the N\u00fcrburgring for the first time in six years on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Oscar Piastri N\u00fcrburgring test halted by McLaren issue<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n The two-day outing at the N\u00fcrburgring has replaced the planned test in Bahrain at the end of February that had to be cancelled due to the world events.<\/p>\n Day One on Tuesday got underway on a damp circuit with Russell and Piastri covering a few installation laps on intermediate tyres, before switching to the slicks as the track dried out later in the morning.<\/p>\n The two completed several eight-lap runs, running various constructions of the C3 compound.<\/p>\n But while Russell moved on to longer runs in the afternoon, an undisclosed technical issue with Piastri<\/a>\u2018s MCL40 sidelined the McLaren driver for most of the afternoon.<\/p>\n Russell topped the timesheet with a 1:33.899, while Piastri\u2019s best was a full second slower at 1:35.096.<\/p>\n F1 car go brum. We\u2019ve missed this! pic.twitter.com\/71xhXTvIsO<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) April 14, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Piastri admitted to Sky F1 that while the Pirelli test wasn\u2019t a grand prix, it was still useful for himself and McLaren after his difficult start to the season that included two back-to-back DNSs.<\/p>\n More on F1 drivers at the N\u00fcrburgring<\/p>\n Should more F1 drivers race outside Formula 1 more often in Verstappen, Stroll example?<\/a><\/p>\n Max Verstappen teammate\u2019s health scare after collapse during gruelling Paul Ricard stint<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s useful,\u201d said the Australian driver. \u201cI think in a race weekend it\u2019s always going to be more useful and obviously here at a circuit, we don\u2019t race at.<\/p>\n \u201cSo with the current regulations, there\u2019s a lot of preparation that\u2019s very specific to each circuit. So there\u2019s definitely some things we can learn here.<\/p>\n \u201cBut yes, unfortunately it\u2019s not quite the same as doing a race or a race weekend, but it\u2019s better than nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n However, the scope of what teams are allowed to do is very limited.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s more just about getting laps in the car and checking our systems work,\u201d he said. \u201cWe obviously can\u2019t change anything in these kind of test days with Pirelli.<\/p>\n \u201cBut even just kind of systems and small things like the comfort of the seats and just making sure all these things are as good as you can make it because you never really want to change those kind of things on a race weekend.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd even just for me you still get a feeling for the car. We\u2019ve only done three race weekends, and in my case only one full race.<\/p>\n \u201cSo just getting any laps at this point in these cars is useful.\u201d<\/p>\n McLaren and Mercedes will be back on track on Wednesday with Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli taking over the driving duties.<\/p>\n The N\u00fcrburgring held the Eifel Grand Prix during the COVID-affected 2020 season. It was the first time since the 2013 German Grand Prix that the GP-Strecke layout hosted an F1 race.<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n Read next: Send your F1 questions to PlanetF1.com\u2019s paddock journalists<\/a><\/p>\n