McLaren has confirmed that a gearbox malfunction forced Lando Norris to miss Friday’s second free‑practice session (FP2) at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. The team described the problem as a "big setback" and said the issue was identified during the early minutes of the session, leaving the British driver unable to complete any timed laps.
According to the official Formula 1 website, engineers discovered a fault in the rear‑end gearbox that could not be rectified quickly enough to allow Norris back on track before the session ended. "We’ve been working on it all day and unfortunately we couldn’t get it sorted in time for FP2," a McLaren spokesperson said. The team will now focus on fixing the component before qualifying on Saturday, where Norris will need a clear track to recover lost time.
The setback comes at a crucial stage in the championship. Norris sits third in the drivers’ standings, just a few points behind Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso, while McLaren is battling Red Bull and Ferrari for a podium finish in the constructors’ race. Missing a full FP2 limits the amount of data the team can gather on tyre performance, fuel loads and aerodynamic balance for the weekend, potentially compromising their qualifying strategy.
For Indian fans, the Spanish Grand Prix will be broadcast live on FanCode with commentary in English and Hindi, starting at 12:30 IST for qualifying and 15:30 IST for the race. The FP2 session, which was scheduled for 13:00 IST, will be shown in highlights only, given Norris’ absence.
McLaren has not indicated whether the gearbox issue will affect the race weekend beyond FP2, but the team’s engineers are expected to bring a spare unit for qualifying. Norris will likely push hard in the final practice session (FP3) on Saturday to make up for lost track time.
Source: Formula1.com
