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Lando Norris reflects on a “pretty surreal” day driving McLaren’s 2026 F1 car.
Lando Norris expressed his “surreal” feelings about driving as the reigning world champion while debuting McLaren’s 2026 F1 car in a stealthy black testing livery at a closed doors shakedown in Barcelona. During his first day with the car, Norris completed 77 laps and clocked a fastest lap time placing him third on the timesheet. Reflecting on the day, Norris mentioned the joy of seeing the number one on his car and the excitement of driving the new McLaren. McLaren’s chief designer confirmed the shakedown went smoothly without major issues, focusing on getting the car reliable and ready for further testing. The team’s goal is to fine-tune the MCL40 in preparation for the upcoming season, with Oscar Piastri set to test the car next before Norris takes over for the final day of running.
