Fragile McLarens
Today we saw just how fragile F1 prototype cars actually are. Every detail has to be as light and as strong as possible — two qualities that are often in conflict.
So after countless virtual and real-world simulations, temporary and low-tech solutions sometimes have to be found on the go just to keep the cars running and race preparation on schedule.
This is where F1 teams show why they are the best in quick adaptation and rapid prototyping of unique solutions. If a complex 3D component is needed overnight, rest assured it will either be designed and produced on site, or a local technical partner will be found — if one is not already available as a precaution. And somehow, everything will be ready for FP3.
McLaren have proven beyond any doubt that they are the team capable of making some of the biggest performance steps between practice and qualifying.
So it remains to be seen whether Baku will ask a very different question of Team Papaya. 🏎️🧡
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Red Bull Upgrades
Red Bull introduced its last major upgrade of the season, and so far the team is positive that everything is working as expected.
Hadjar had a small gearbox issue which was quickly resolved. He also reported a nagging problem with the brakes pulling to one side, which turned out to be more complex than it initially seemed.
The issue was related to the battery state of charge. The team were experimenting with different deployment strategies and, at that particular moment, the battery was full and the algorithm disconnected the MGU-K, meaning all the braking force had to come from the conventional hydraulic system.
The carbon brakes were not equally up to temperature across all four corners of the car, which caused the initial instability the driver felt.
It is just another reminder of how incredibly complex the 2026 F1 cars really are — and how difficult it is to get every single system working perfectly together.
Interesting qualifying ahead… 🔋
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Deployment Games at Baku
Everyone in F1 is watching everyone else in F1 all the time. This is hardly a surprise, and we saw the cat-and-mouse games again at Baku during free practice.
The leading teams were very careful about masking their true performance and preventing direct rivals from reverse-engineering their potential. This is usually done by running full power in individual sectors rather than completing an entire lap.
But this year, things are much more complex.
One of the major performance differentiators is energy harvesting and deployment through the hybrid system — the MGU-K and battery.
We saw many teams today, particularly Ferrari and McLaren, using completely different deployment strategies at different stages of the two practice sessions and deliberately cutting fast laps short.
This helps explain the unusually large lap-time gaps between the leading teams.
So expect a significant improvement tomorrow, with much faster lap times and significantly smaller gaps compared with today.
Based on the current pace picture, Mercedes appear to have the early advantage, followed by McLaren. Red Bull look close, while Ferrari remain a big question mark for now.
Tomorrow we will see who was hiding their true pace — and who really has it
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All images and videos used in The Fastest Lap Newsletter are our own or have been provided by our partners, including https://www.spasgp.com/
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That’s a chequered flag 🏁 for today.
Tomorrow, best. 🏎️