Lando Norris aims to play down McLaren expectations after day 1 test success

McLaren driver Lando Norris has sought to play down expectations after topping the timesheets on day one of Formula 1 testing on Wednesday in Barcelona.

The British star and team-mate Daniel Ricciardo are naturally hoping that the McLaren is going to be quick this season, with the 2022 regulations coming into play.

Of course, day one of testing is quite early to be predicting your world champions but the McLaren looked solid enough at the hands of the Bristolian.

He’s urged caution over expectations, though, and rather amusingly suggested he’d rather have not come first as it only increases hopes at a stage of the year where nothing can really be knowingly predicted.

“I can be happy enough, but today is not about lap time.

“I don’t care if I’m first or last. If anything it’s worse if you’re first as everyone thinks we’re amazingly fast, which I don’t really reckon we are. But no, I think a good day in terms of the laps and the program.

“It’s way too early to tell anything, Of course now we’re P1 and everyone is going to think we’re going to win the race, but no chance. No, it feels good, I think we made some good improvements already from the beginning of the day, but we’re only in day one of the season. Even if we’re amazing now, everything can change by the time we get to the first race, and everything can change by the second.

“The rate of development that everyone’s going to bring to the first half of the season is going to be extremely high. I just hope it’s fast, it feels good. There are definitely many things to work on, some things not feeling so good, but for a new car and something we never drove before – for so many new things – I think it was a decent start.”