Bahrain International Circuit, Thursday, 19 February
Find out what happened on Day 2 of Pre-Season Testing 2 in Bahrain, and get the thoughts of McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Technical Director, Applied Engineering Neil Houldey.
The McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team continued their 2026 preparations on Thursday as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri completed 158 laps between them, covering a total distance of 855.096km on Day 2 of Bahrain Pre-Season Testing 2.
The team’s running for the second day saw a continued carryover of their programme from Wednesday’s time on track at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Throughout Thursday morning’s session, Lando focused on setup preparation with power unit and chassis testing in both Qualifying and race simulation laps. This also allowed a variety of high- and low-fuel runs to be completed, as the British driver recorded 72 laps in total on his second day on track.
Lando also experienced Pirelli’s C4 tyre for the first time this week, following Oscar’s time on the compound during Wednesday’s afternoon running. This means both McLaren Mastercard drivers have now experienced all four of our chosen Pirelli compounds for this second test in Bahrain. By working through each individual tyre compound, the team have been able to gather important learnings alongside the valuable data collected through testing various items in both types of running.
Oscar completed the afternoon session in the MCL40, finalising his running with 86 laps. As seen throughout the team’s time on track yesterday, both drivers ran similar programmes to better understand the car’s operation and performance across multiple conditions. This, therefore, meant that Oscar’s run plan included a proper race simulation with pit stops, providing a more accurate account of what racing in Sakhir could look like come April’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
As part of the team’s race preparation and in line with the FIA’s start procedure trial, both drivers simulated their launch procedure. This aligns with the team’s objective of wanting to gather additional important learnings with each lap completed.
The team will conclude their Pre-Season Testing schedule tomorrow, focusing on expanding the knowledge assembled around the overall package of the MCL40. This will include maximising performance across the various racing modes available, while building on the productive information collected throughout pre-season. Lando and Oscar will continue to share driving duties throughout the day. Oscar will start off the running in the morning period before Lando drives the MCL40 for the closing afternoon session.