McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella has revealed the team was not informed about Ferrari’s recent filming day at the new Madrid circuit. The event saw Ferrari become the first team to run a contemporary F1 car on the ‘Madring’ layout.
The new circuit is set to host the Spanish Grand Prix for the first time in September. Ferrari’s run, conducted last month with drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, came as a surprise to the Woking-based team.
“We were not informed that Ferrari would have had this session in Madrid,” Stella confirmed. He acknowledged that the early running could offer Ferrari a minor benefit ahead of the inaugural race weekend at the brand-new venue.
Formula 1 regulations permit teams two promotional filming days per year. These are limited to 200km of running and must use non-representative Pirelli promotional tyres, restricting the amount of useful performance data that can be gathered.
Stella conceded that even with these limitations, some knowledge can be gained. He pointed to establishing initial references for power unit settings, which prevents starting from completely assumed data.
“There’s always a little bit that you can learn. You have some references. Especially with this year’s power units, you get some references such that you don’t start from data that you have to completely assume because nobody has been there.”
Despite the potential for a “little bit of an advantage” for Ferrari, Stella downplayed its overall significance. He noted the track conditions would have been extremely slippery, describing the venue as still being a “construction site”.
Lewis Hamilton, who drove the circuit, confirmed the dusty and low-grip conditions during the limited laps. The new 5.47km semi-permanent circuit features 20 corners and combines street sections with a purpose-built area.
Stella believes any small head start Ferrari might have will quickly be nullified once official practice sessions begin for the Grand Prix weekend. “I think after a few laps in Madrid, we will have forgotten about that,” he stated.
He concluded that while the news was unexpected, the run was not against regulations and the team was thankful for the onboard footage that was shared. The focus for McLaren will be on its own preparations for the event.
