Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri looked strong over a long run, but the MCL39 also appeared a handful.
The team insists progress has been made, though with unusually cool (and blustery) conditions for the opening two days, and a circuit that has traditionally not suited McLaren’s cars, it’s difficult to get a precise read.
“We’ve been trying a lot of things,” Piastri explained.
“Our program has been going pretty smoothly and we’ve been getting some pretty clear reads on what different changes do, which is what you want at this part of the season.
“In terms of pace, I don’t really know where we sit,” he admitted.
“There’s been some runs that have looked good, some that haven’t looked so good.
“That’s the story for everybody a little bit but I think we’re still pretty comfortable.”
Piastri ended the test in the car, logging 85 laps in the final four hours of running on Friday afternoon – by far the most he clocked up across the three days of running.
That included a race simulation which appeared to show higher tyre degradation than what Norris had experienced with his long runs on Thursday.
Much warmer conditions on the final day make the two runs difficult to directly compare – though in both instances McLaren looked to have the measure of the competition.
“A racing driver is always going to complain about a race car, no matter how fast it is,” Piastri said of the progress made by the team.
Rear-end stability had been highlighted as an area of focus by Norris, a point team boss Andrea Stella conceded.
“There’s been a few things we’ve tried to tackle through the tests,” Piastri added.
“It’s been a bit tricky at points, for sure, but I don’t think anything to be overly concerned about.
“We’ve been trying a lot of things and have been giving us a pretty clear understanding of what they do, but they’ve not always necessarily been the right things for what the car needs.”
While clear room for improvement, McLaren has maintained its mantle as favourite as the F1 circus now heads to Melbourne.
Across the three days of running in Bahrain it proved itself to be a well-rounded car, and a step forward in low-speed than its predecessor, a machine that delivered McLaren its first world title in a generation.
“Last year, I think we ended up with a car that was pretty well rounded, and hopefully we can continue that this year,” Piastri reasoned.
“Bahrain has not been our happiest of tracks, certainly in my time at McLaren, but hopefully we can change that with this year’s car.
“So I’m excited to see what we’ve got.
“We’re not going to know until we get to Melbourne, really, but I think the signs have been positive.”
The opening round of the F1 season takes place in Melbourne, with the Australian Grand Prix running from March 13-16.
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