.jpg?w=700&c=0 "Bajaj Pulsar NS400Z: 3 reasons to buy and 2 not to")
McLaren is hoping its Team Hub – their hospitality building in the paddock – can be salvaged and repaired in time before the summer break after a fire broke out at the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix.
The blaze is believed to have started between the two floors in the team’s semi-permanent building, which made it difficult to identify the source of the fire.
Staff and marshals attempted to put it out before fire crews arrived in the paddock, pumping the hospitality suite full of water to stop further damage and to stop it spreading to neighbouring motorhomes.
However, smoke continued to pour from the building for much of Saturday afternoon with the Team Hub cordoned off for the rest of the day.
It meant that Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were forced to relocate to the engineering trucks, while CEO Zak Brown has been offered the use of FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s office in the FIA motorhome.
McLaren are now waiting for the hospitality to be deep cleaned but say the damage is isolated and that they expected to be back in operation before the summer shutdown.
That is a huge boost after Norris had raised doubt as to whether the motorhome would be able to be salvaged.
Pole man Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, in the post Qualifying Press Conference
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images
After he qualified on pole in Barcelona, Norris said: “It is a shame that it won’t be used today or tomorrow, I don’t think, for anything, maybe not into the future, but that’s not anything that I know about for now.”
However, while it remains out of action, McLaren has been forced to source an alternative motorhome for next weekend’s Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring.
As yet, the team says it is unsure of what its plans are for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone – the third race in the triple header.
While personal equipment was left in the building during the evacuation, the team says it was not forced to borrow any equipment from other teams in order to compete this weekend.
On Saturday night, McLaren released a statement saying the team member who had been taken to hospital for review had now been discharged.
It added: “Our thanks go to the circuit and hospital medical staff for their care and support.”
