Following an incident with an electrical fire in Barcelona, McLaren approached Formula 1 counterpart Red Bull seeking support for the ongoing demanding sequence of three consecutive grands prix weekends.
The crisis unfolded during a busy three-week span, with races scheduled in Spain, Austria, and the UK.
"I'm up in the engineering office instead," Lando Norris shared after qualifying, "and Oscar (Piastri) is down in the truck below. And that's Zak (Brown)'s office that I've taken over."
"But it's not the end of the world, so I'm not going to complain about it."
Post-fire, McLaren's large mobile paddock facility was declared unusable and will miss the upcoming races at the Red Bull Ring and the British Grand Prix, prompting the team to scramble for alternative arrangements.
Renowned for its extensive logistical capabilities, Red Bull holds several similar mobile facilities and equipment used across various sports and racing events.
"They asked us," disclosed Dr Helmut Marko, a Red Bull team advisor, in an interview with Kleine Zeitung newspaper before the Austrian Grand Prix—a venue promoted by the energy drink company at their own circuit.
"Unfortunately we couldn't help them out because we are using the Energy Station and hospitality at the MotoGP at the same time," he explained.
"I don't know what they're doing now."
Amidst the turmoil, McLaren's team leader Andrea Stella expressed gratitude for the widespread assistance the team received during the Spanish Grand Prix.
"I would like to highlight the solidarity, helpfulness and support that we received from every single team, Formula 1, and the FIA," he stated. "We were impressed by this sense of community."
