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Fire broke out in the McLaren Team Hub head of Free Practice 3 forcing the evacuation of all personnel from the facility.
The situation is thought to have been triggered by a wiring fault in the floor between the two levels of the temporary facility.
McLaren issued a short statement following the incident advising that it had been managed by the local fire brigade before providing further information, including the fact one staff member was taken to hospital.
“This morning a fire was detected in our trackside Team Hub,” the statement confirmed.
“The team hub was evacuated of all staff and guests, and circuit emergency services attended the scene within minutes. The circuit emergency services and local fire department have since extinguished the fire.
“One McLaren team member has been taken to hospital as a precaution, and all McLaren personnel and guests are accounted for.
“We would like to thank all the marshals and emergency services for their quick and professional response. We would also like to thank Formula 1, the FIA and our competitors who have offered to help our team and guests this weekend.”
Just over two hours later, an update confirmed the staff member had been discharged from hospital.
“The McLaren team member who had been taken to hospital for review has now been discharged,” it annoucned.
“Our thanks go to the circuit and hospital medical staff for their care and support.”
Against that backdrop, Lando Norris secured pole position for the team, the second of his career.
Speaking after qualifying, the 24-year-old suggested the fire could mark the end of the facility that began life as the McLaren Brand Centre in 2007.
“The best thing is everyone was safe,” Norris said of the fire.
“One person was taken to hospital, just for some check-ups, but all good otherwise.
“A bit of a scare for the whole team, never a nice thing, but just a bit more of a stressful day than I would have liked.”
The Team Hub, as it is now known, underwent significant refurbishment in 2021 where it was downsized to improve the logistical sustainability of the facility.
Given the location of the driver’s rooms, and the need to evacuate the building, there were initially concerns Norris and team-mate Oscar Piastri would struggle for equipment such as racesuits and helmets.
Norris’ driver room is located on the ground floor of the building, and he was one of those forced to evacuate.
As it was, they were unaffected and both took part in Free Practice 3 without issue.
“They managed to get some stuff out, but some of it’s probably not the best to use, or it smells pretty bad from the fire,” Norris explained.
“I lost my shoes, and that was as bad as it got for me,” he added.
“I’ve not been in my normal room and I’ve not been able to maybe relax and chill out as much as what I normally do.
“That was awkward from that side, but a shame that it [hospitality suite] won’t be used today or tomorrow, I don’t think, for anything, and maybe not into the future, but that’s not anything that I know about for now.”
Norris is now based out of Zak Brown’s office, while Piastri is making do with space in the same truck.
While Norris secured pole for Sunday’s race, Piastri could do no better than 10th, though will start ninth courtesy of a penalty for Sergio Perez.
The Spanish Grand Prix begins at 15:00 local time (23:00 AEST).
