McLaren offer their initial verdict on their significant upgrade package

McLaren believes it has taken an important step forward with its latest upgrade package after an encouraging, if challenging, opening day of running at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The Woking-based team introduced a revised aerodynamic package at the Hungaroring, including its latest rotating rear wing design. Lando Norris evaluated the new specification throughout Friday, while Oscar Piastri completed a back-to-back comparison by running the previous-specification floor in his only practice session after sitting out FP1 for rookie Leonardo Fornaroli.

Although Ferrari comfortably led both practice sessions, McLaren was encouraged by the early data gathered from its latest developments.

Norris recovered from a frustrating opening session to finish third in FP2, just over half a second behind pace-setter Lewis Hamilton. The Briton had been unable to set a representative lap on the soft tyres in FP1 after running wide at Turn 11, but he showed the potential of the upgraded MCL40 in the afternoon.

Despite the improvement, Norris admitted there is still work to do before qualifying: "A tricky day, not the easiest two sessions for us. While we took a step forward this afternoon, we've still got some work to do."

The reigning world champion explained that understanding the new components remains the team's priority.

"We've introduced some new bits on the car today, and we need to understand those a bit better and how we can get them dialled in."

While acknowledging Ferrari's current advantage, Norris believes McLaren is moving in the right direction.

"We know we're not going to catch the guys ahead immediately, so we need to keep working hard, but we're making steps in the right direction in a few areas. We'll work hard overnight to get more out of this package and see what we can do tomorrow."

Piastri faced an even more difficult afternoon. Having missed FP1 while Formula 2 championship contender Leonardo Fornaroli fulfilled McLaren's mandatory rookie driver requirement, the Australian had only one practice session to familiarise himself with the circuit and changing conditions.

He finished eighth after struggling to find rhythm on a windy circuit with limited grip: "It was a very challenging session for us. The track conditions were difficult with the high winds, and the newer sections of the circuit are quite worn with very low grip, which made finding a rhythm tough."

Piastri acknowledged that starting the weekend in FP2 left him at a disadvantage.

"Only running for one session today meant it took a little more for me to get into FP2, but thank you to Leo for his support this morning. We gathered as much data as we could under the circumstances and will work this evening and into FP3 tomorrow to find improvements."

The Australian is set to receive the latest aerodynamic package on Saturday after Norris carried out the initial evaluation on Friday.

"The new parts seem to be working as expected on Lando's car, and I'm looking forward to having them on mine tomorrow. The Ferraris look strong, but we feel we are in the mix.

"If we can put everything together and execute a clean Quali, we believe there is a good opportunity to make a lot of progress and be in the fight for a strong result."

Fornaroli, meanwhile, enjoyed a productive first outing in the upgraded MCL40. The Italian completed 29 laps and helped the team gather valuable comparison data, despite locking a front tyre during his soft-tyre run.

"It was a good session in the MCL40. We got 29 laps in, and I found a good rhythm quickly after a month out of the car."

He also confirmed the new rotating rear wing performed as expected: "Our pace on the Medium was strong from the first laps, but I had a lock up on the Soft run - this is a learning point for me.

"We also ran the rotational rear wing, and it worked as intended, which is encouraging for the team."

Reflecting on his contribution to the programme, Fornaroli added: "Overall, I'm happy with how today went and the team's positive feedback.

"I learned a lot and was able to gather a lot of valuable data and support with the setup of the car for Oscar, which was my main focus. Thank you again to the team for the opportunity."

McLaren's senior director of racing, Randy Singh, described Friday as an intensive but productive day of evaluation.

"Overall, it has been an intense day for the McLaren Mastercard Team. The most positive takeaway from our running is that every new component we brought to the track performed as we expected."

Singh praised all three drivers for their work in difficult conditions: "The drivers all did a fantastic job in what were very difficult conditions on track, especially with the wind, and we gathered a lot of useful data. Lando ran the new package all day, with Oscar running the old specification floor in his only session to facilitate our comparative work.

"Leonardo Fornaroli also played a big part in that during FP1, and his diligent work has been really valuable for our programme and future development. We have a solid foundation and feel we have taken a good step in the right direction."

Despite the encouraging results, Singh stressed that McLaren remains realistic about its current position relative to Ferrari.

"We remain realistic about our position. The gap to the front has been significant in recent races, and we always knew we weren't going to close that in one go.

"However, the signs are encouraging, and this progress gives us confidence that our development path is the correct one. We are reasonably positive and look forward to seeing where we stand in Qualifying on Saturday."