F1 World Champion Lando Norris: Useful extra laps following Zandvoort victory

Although the race weekend at Zandvoort didn’t start as Lando Norris would have liked, the defending champion nevertheless left the Netherlands beaming with joy. In the sprint qualifying session, he initially had to settle for second on the grid – Mercedes veteran George Russell was the fastest in the sprint qualifying – before having to make do with third place in the 24-lap race. In the mini-race, Ferrari star Charles Leclerc, who had started on soft tyres, managed to overtake the McLaren star.

After the chequered flag fell, however, Norris was back on the road to success. In Grand Prix qualifying, he secured pole position, laying the foundation for his victory on race Sunday. He left Zandvoort in high spirits as a result. Just a few days later, the Englishman set off to carry out a tyre test at Mugello. In the MCL40, he completed 114 laps on Thursday, covering 594 kilometres.

Valuable laps at Mugello

Afterwards, Norris said: “It was a couple of productive days with Pirelli. As with our test at the Nürburgring, the main aim was to provide useful feedback and contribute to the development of the tyres we’ll be using in the future. It’s good that all the teams have the opportunity to be involved in the development process.”

“Mugello is a really cool circuit, one I haven’t driven on since 2020. It was therefore particularly nice to return there,” the 26-year-old continued. And he emphasised: “Every moment in the car is valuable, even when you’re working through a programme set by Pirelli, because it’s always helpful to further develop your understanding of the car.” He will now refocus his attention on the upcoming World Championship rounds at Monza and Madrid, added the 13-time Grand Prix winner.

Not a smooth test session for Oscar Piastri

Alongside Norris, his team-mate Oscar Piastri was also out on track on behalf of tyre supplier Pirelli. The Australian had been at the wheel of the MCL40 the day before, but was hampered by an electronics issue and managed only 90 laps, covering a distance of 464 km. Afterwards, he too said: “It was good to do a few more laps in the MCL40. This circuit brings back special memories of my time in formula racing, and it was great to line up here in the Grand Prix car.”

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Oscar Piastri kam beim Mugello-Test nicht ganz so weit wie sein Teamkollege

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“We completed a lot of laps and gathered a wealth of data for Pirelli, which was, of course, the purpose of the test,” added the 25-year-old, who shared the track with Liam Lawson, who was driving the Red Bull Racing car. “It’s useful that several teams are testing at the same time,” said Piastri. “That way, Pirelli can gather more information. We all stick to the test programmes and set-ups they specify in order to gather the relevant insights. It’s always interesting to be part of the development process.”