- Reigning world champion Lando Norris admitted McLaren lacked the pace to challenge its rivals at the United States Grand Prix, finishing fifth and extending his podium drought to four consecutive races.
- Oscar Piastri endured an equally frustrating weekend, finishing seventh after struggling to extract consistent performance from the MCL40 despite successfully holding off Mercedes’ George Russell.
- McLaren is now level with Red Bull for third in the constructors’ championship, with its ongoing performance struggles threatening to further undermine its title defence as the 2026 season draws to a close.
Reigning Formula 1 world champion Lando Norris has conceded that McLaren simply lacked the pace to challenge its front-running rivals at the United States Grand Prix, following another disappointing weekend for the Woking outfit.
Having started seventh alongside teammate Oscar Piastri, Norris could only salvage fifth at the Circuit of the Americas, extending his podium drought to four consecutive Grands Prix.
A stark contrast to the form which propelled the Briton to his maiden world championship in 2025, with McLaren increasingly struggling to match the pace of Mercedes, Ferrari and the resurgent Red Bull outfit.
Despite briefly occupying second position during the latter stages of Sunday’s race, Norris was powerless to resist the advances of Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton as his tyres deteriorated.
While McLaren’s strategy had initially provided the 26-year old with an opportunity to challenge further up the order, the underlying performance deficit of the MCL40 ultimately proved insurmountable.
“I think we achieved the best we could,” Norris admitted.
“It was clear we didn’t have the pace of the others, but we gave it a good try. The pace was good on the hards for a bit, we struggled a lot more on the mediums, but we gave ourselves a chance which was the main thing.
“We had a good strategy and through everything, we gave ourselves the most opportunities so I’m happy, but we’re just not quick enough.”
The result leaves McLaren level with Red Bull for third in the constructors’ championship, a particularly concerning predicament given the latter’s remarkable resurgence throughout the second half of the campaign.
Having previously enjoyed a considerable competitive advantage, the reigning constructors’ champions now find themselves fighting to remain amongst the leading contenders.
And while Norris acknowledged that improvements have been made to the MCL40, he remained adamant that the progress was insufficient to bridge the gap to its rivals.
“We know exactly what we’ve got, but we’ve just got to improve it and at the minute, we’ve certainly made some improvements but it’s nothing at the level it needs to be.”
Piastri equally frustrated by McLaren’s struggles
It was an equally underwhelming afternoon for Piastri, who finished seventh after enduring another difficult weekend behind the wheel of the MCL40.
The Australian was unable to make significant inroads through the field, although he successfully resisted pressure from Mercedes’ George Russell to secure six championship points.
However, Piastri was far from satisfied with his performance, highlighting the difficulties encountered in extracting consistent lap time from the McLaren throughout the weekend.
“It was very tough for sure,” Piastri conceded.
“We were able to keep Russell behind at least which was good but it was pretty challenging to get lap time out of the car which has been the same all weekend.
“I think, as a team, we’ve both struggled to a pretty big extent but for me, the pace has been pretty bad so there’s plenty to understand and see where we can do better.”
With the championship entering its closing stages, McLaren’s inability to consistently challenge for podiums has become an increasingly pressing concern.
Particularly as Red Bull continues to gather momentum, threatening to compound the Woking outfit’s disappointing campaign by relegating it further down the constructors’ standings.
And while Norris and Piastri have demonstrated their ability to maximise opportunities when presented, the events in Austin served as another reminder that strategy alone cannot compensate for a fundamental lack of performance.
For McLaren, the challenge now is ensuring that its recent struggles do not become the defining narrative of an otherwise successful period in the team’s history.
