McLaren was slightly more understated than its rivals in Bahrain practice.<\/a> The Woking-based team showed signs of promise, although Lando Norris is aware of the strength across the field.<\/p>\n The MCL38 was one of the first cars to flex its muscles in FP1.<\/p>\n Both drivers finished the session in the top 3, albeit on the soft compound and behind RB’s Daniel Ricciardo.<\/p>\n Relative to the other top teams, McLaren’s advantage on the softs was relatively underwhelming.<\/p>\n With that said, making any conclusions about the MCL38 would be premature.<\/p>\n Instead, analysis at this stage is treated more like an exercise of observation.<\/p>\n With this caveat out of the way, some might have expected more from Andrea Stella’s team so far in Sakhir.<\/p>\n Piastri finished FP2 four tenths behind the W15 of Lewis Hamilton. For a team that finished 2023 marginally ahead of the German suppliers, this is a small step backwards.<\/p>\n Given they share the same engine, it seems reasonable to infer some gap in performance between the two teams.<\/p>\n The race simulations seemed more competitive, though. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris<\/a> largely matched Mercedes and Ferrari on their soft run.<\/p>\n