McLaren completes final test day before summer break: ‘Nice to be back at Portimão’

It is now officially summer break for the McLaren drivers as well. Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri had to travel to the Portimão circuit in Portugal after the Hungarian GP. There they completed test kilometers in the MCL60, for the first time together with reserve driver Leonardo Fornaroli.

Read more Is Red Bull rid of the curse over the second seat? ‘Isack performs excellently’, says Laurent Mekies

For Lando Norris, the test days took place at a special location: in 2017 the Brit drove for the first time in a Formula 1 car at Portimão. During the test days nine years later, Norris completed 49 laps, while Oscar Piastri drove 55 laps and Leonardo Fornaroli 47 laps on both afternoons in Portugal. In total, McLaren tested for two days on the ‘challenging’ Portuguese circuit. Portimão is known for its sensitivity to the wind, causing the drivers to face unpredictable conditions.

“It was a productive test for us, and it was nice to be back in Portimão,” Norris looks back on the test days. “This is where I drove an F1 car for the very first time, so it is a special circuit for me. It is also a circuit that is fun to drive, with a number of nice, challenging corners. We were able to complete everything we wanted and cover some valuable kilometers. It is a nice conclusion to the summer break. I look forward to spending some time with family and friends, recharging my energy, and coming back strong in Zandvoort.”

‘Interesting circuit’

For Piastri, it was the first time he drove at Portimão. “Due to the changing conditions, it was an interesting circuit to drive on, and the elevation changes made it really fun,” the Australian enthusiastically explains. “We were able to complete the entire program we had planned, and the team is satisfied. It is a good time to take a break for the summer break. It has been quite an intense season for us, so it will be nice for everyone to relax a bit before we go full throttle again.”

Read more George Russell sighs after more bad luck in Hungary: ‘Really need a summer vacation’

Next year, Formula 1 returns to the Portimão circuit, officially the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve.

Read everything about the Dutch GP in Zandvoort here