Following a positive COVID-19 test last week, Daniel Ricciardo has returned in time for Formula 1's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
McLaren has seemingly fixed brake issues that arose during testing, but a lack of pace in the new MCL36 has put Ricciardo and teammate Lando Norris in a challenging position ahead of qualifying.
The Australian finished 17th in the first practice session at the Bahrain International Circuit, dropping to 18th in the second session.
Norris only bettered Ricciardo by one position in the first session but was able to improve to 11th place in the following session.
Although testing and practice are not always indicative of a team's performance heading into a new season, there is a notable gap between McLaren's performance and their rivals.
Ferrari - who beat McLaren to third place in the constructors' standings last season - had both their drivers finish second and third in both practice sessions.
Speaking on Friday evening in Bahrain, Ricciardo was blunt in his assessment of McLaren's on-track performance.
"We didn't have the smoothest day," Ricciardo said.
"Unfortunately we missed out on some running this evening, so we've got our work cut out.
"We'll keep at it, study the data tonight and try to make up for it tomorrow morning before qualifying."
It was a difficult day for reigning constructors' champions Mercedes, too.
The Silver Arrows appeared to be genuinely struggling, with the typical rumours of sandbagging seemingly not the case this time around.
Porpoising continued to be an issue, as Lewis Hamilton went one second slower than rival Max Verstappen in the second session.
“I’m just realistic and, at the moment ... we are not going to be in the race for a win,” Hamilton said.
“If you look at the Red Bulls, they are a long, long way ahead, in the region of eight to nine tenths, and Ferrari are half a second to six tenths ahead.
“So, we’re a long way off and we are not bluffing like people assumed we were."
The Bahrain Grand Prix takes place on Monday, March 21 at 2:00 am (AEDT).
