McLaren celebrated its milestone 1,000th Formula One Grand Prix entry on Thursday, June 4, at Monaco, marking 60 years since the team’s debut at the circuit with a party featuring former and current champion drivers and historic cars [1]. The team ran a special orange livery for the Monaco weekend to commemorate the occasion [2, 3, 1].
On Friday, during practice sessions, McLaren faced challenges on track. Lando Norris was sixth fastest in the opening session but his second session ended after just eight laps when his car stopped due to an electrical fault [2, 3]. Rob Marshall, McLaren’s Chief Technical Officer, confirmed the shutdown was caused by an electrical issue. "Lando's session was unfortunately cut short by an electrical fault which caused the car to shut down," Marshall said. "The team is working hard to diagnose the root cause to ensure it doesn't happen again and that our focus is on optimising everything for qualifying" [3]. Marshall also noted, "It could be anything, but it's electrical" [1]. Norris called the day "tricky" and expressed frustration over losing track time, saying, "We're clearly off the pace and need to find time across the lap" [2].
Oscar Piastri was eighth fastest in the first practice session and reportedly improved a position in the later session according to some sources [2, 3], though another source reported he finished seventh on Friday [1]. Piastri described the day as "a bit difficult" and said, "It’s not just one place where we’re struggling — it’s a little bit everywhere" [1].
Overall, McLaren’s car was off pace in Friday practice and the team identified possible factors including tyre, temperature, or setup issues [2, 3]. Lando Norris holds the record for most race starts for McLaren [1], and he reflected on the milestone event, saying, "It’s a pretty awesome stat to think of. And, to be honest, normally I hate stats and I hate when people say them, but this is one that I’m proud of... It’s something just to see my [name] alongside so many greats" [1].
McLaren has a distinguished record at Monaco with 16 wins, 177 pole positions, 203 overall Formula One wins, and 10 world championships [1]. The team’s next step is Saturday’s qualifying session at Monaco where it aims to improve on the struggles seen in practice [2, 3].
