Four races without a podium: Norris admits McLaren lacks the pace

Strategy briefly raises podium hopes

Lando Norris delivered a clear assessment of McLaren’s position after the United States Grand Prix: the car simply is not quick enough. The reigning world champion finished fifth in Austin, while Oscar Piastri came home seventh. For Norris, it was a fourth consecutive race without a podium.

For a time, strategy offered hope of a better result. On a one-stop plan, Norris ran second in the closing stages but had to defend on worn tyres. Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton passed him, turning a temporary podium position into fifth place at the finish.

Norris points to a lack of pace

Norris did not blame the team’s tactical decisions. Instead, he felt McLaren had made good use of the available options and given its drivers a chance to fight. The Briton said the hard tyres had worked reasonably well for a while, whereas the difficulties on the mediums had been considerably greater.

His conclusion was that improvements were being made, but they had yet to deliver the competitiveness required. Austin left McLaren level on points with Red Bull in the battle for third in the constructors’ standings. The absence of a podium therefore also has a direct impact on the team contest late in the season.

A difficult weekend for Piastri too

Piastri also described a difficult weekend. The Australian kept George Russell behind him and collected six points for seventh, but admitted that extracting pace from the car had been a problem throughout the event. In his view, both drivers had struggled significantly.

Judging by the result and the drivers’ reactions, McLaren stayed in contention through strategy and defending positions, but lacked the pace to retain a place in the top three. Before Mexico, the task is to find more speed in the car — the very requirement Norris identified for moving back towards the front.

Sources: Formula1.com · Formula1.com — reactions