P1racenews AI automatic summary:
McLaren suffered its first setback of 2026 on day two of Formula 1 testing at Barcelona, and pointed to some of its opposition “setting a very high bar”, too
McLaren faced its first setback of 2026 during Formula 1 testing at Barcelona, with Oscar Piastri’s running cut short due to a fuel system issue. The team had to fully strip down the car to pinpoint the problem’s source, limiting Piastri to just 48 laps compared to Mercedes’ benchmark of three times that amount each day. Although not as severe as Red Bull’s crash, McLaren acknowledges the importance of every minute on track early in the season. Technical director Mark Temple emphasized the need to address and resolve issues to ensure better performance moving forward. Despite the setback, McLaren remains focused on refining its car’s development and aims to catch up during upcoming testing in Bahrain.
