Lando Norris, the reigning champion, conceded that McLaren has fallen from title‑contending pace to the fourth‑fastest team after his fifth‑place finish in Austin.
He crossed the line behind Kimi Antonelli, Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, while teammate Oscar Piastri arrived two spots back in seventh. The result hurts a squad that was battling for titles less than a year ago, yet Norris insists the new parts are making a difference.
“Sure, I hoped a new part would work like magic and catapult us onto the podium. The upgrades are coming through, but everyone – Ferrari, the rest – is also improving. We just aren’t finding the gains we need in the slow‑speed corners,” he explained.
“We desperately need more rear grip and better low‑speed performance. It’s been a chronic problem and it’s stubborn to fix,” he added.
When asked if that confirmed McLaren as the fourth‑quickest car, Norris didn’t hesitate.
“Yeah, I think it’s pretty obvious,” he replied.
Devoid of front‑running speed, McLaren opted for a one‑stop gamble, banking on a virtual safety car or full safety car to thrust them into podium contention.
Lando Norris, McLaren
“We gave it a go. We weren’t quick enough, so we took the chance and hoped a VSC or safety car would hand us a solid podium shot – even a second place. I felt the race was strong, I extracted everything I could, so I’m happy despite a P5 not sounding spectacular,” he said.
The one‑stop left Norris on worn hard tyres late, yet he defended against Verstappen for several laps before the Red Bull driver, already on two stops, finally passed him.
“As soon as he switched to Overtake mode and I had to use Boost to hold him, the pass was inevitable. Once I hit traffic on old tyres, the race was essentially over for me,” he noted.
McLaren also rotated its drivers mid‑race, with Norris claiming he’d been “a lot quicker all weekend” than Piastri, making the swap “the obvious choice” – in my view, the only sensible move.
The points swing narrows the fight for third in the constructors’ battle. McLaren arrived in Austin seven points ahead of Red Bull, and now the two sit level with five races left.
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– The Team