The first day of the development test programme organised by Pirelli at the Nürburgring got under way with a few installation laps on intermediate tyres. Rain had fallen throughout the night, leaving the track wet, despite a shy sun appearing later in the morning. The drivers therefore waited for track conditions to improve before starting the programme originally planned on slick tyres.

Oscar Piastri for McLaren and George Russell for Mercedes completed several eight-lap runs in the first part of the programme, testing a number of construction variants on the C3 compound. The solutions considered most promising were then evaluated over longer distances late in the afternoon by the British driver, specifically to validate their behaviour over a more representative mileage. A technical issue, however, kept Piastri’s car in the garage from the lunch break until almost the end of the session.

Track temperatures reached 37°C in the areas exposed to sunlight, while ambient temperatures never rose above 15°C. Piastri set his best lap in 1’35’’096, while Russell stopped the clocks at 1’33’’899. The former completed 65 laps (for a total of 335 kilometres), the latter 127 laps (654 kilometres). Tomorrow, for the second and final day of testing, Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli will be at the wheel.

 

Photo: McLaren F1 / Mercedes-AMG F1