Just before the first free practice session for the United States Grand Prix, when the FIA released the list of technical updates brought by the teams for the Austin weekend, the pages for McLaren and Mercedes were the most extensive. A few hours later, the Sprint Qualifying standings (surprisingly) fully validated the work done by Mercedes engineers, while (again, surprisingly) delaying the effectiveness of McLaren’s updates. In the analyses of the current season conducted during the break after the Singapore Grand Prix, the most significant element of the ‘papaya’ cars’ rise was identified precisely in their upgrades. Until now, McLaren hadn’t failed a single upgrade, being the only top team to hit this target. That was until the Austin weekend.
Already in Singapore, team principal Andrea Stella hadn’t hidden some concerns about going on track in the U.S. with a substantial package of technical updates, but given the previous very positive results, it seemed more like a superstitious gesture than a real worry. Yesterday, however, Oscar Piastri didn’t make it past SQ1 (his best lap was canceled for exceeding track limits), while Lando Norris ended the day in fourth place, sandwiched between the two Ferraris and two-tenths behind poleman Max Verstappen. Is it an isolated case or a warning?
The MCL38, the universal car capable of adapting to every type of track and condition, caused its drivers quite a few problems. The operating window was narrow, and tire management on the softs wasn’t impeccable. In his fast lap in SQ3, Norris pushed hard in the first sector (where he posted the third-best time, behind Max Verstappen and a stellar Lewis Hamilton), but by the last few corners, the front tire temperatures were out of the operating window.
This explains the two-tenths lost (compared to Verstappen) in the last sector, which made the difference in the final time. Ahead of today’s Grand Prix qualifying, it will be crucial for McLaren’s engineers to understand whether yesterday’s issue was linked to Norris’s overly aggressive approach or if the setup needs adjusting. The team also suffers from the inability to compare with Piastri; if Oscar had also been in SQ3, the engineers would have had a much-needed reference point.
“I struggled all day with balance and setup,” commented Lando Norris at the end of the Austin Sprint Qualifying. “In the end, fourth position isn’t bad because I think the result could have been much worse. Considering that possibility, I wouldn’t say it was a terrible day. As for the problems that affected me, I don’t think it’s related to the new technical package; the reasons lie elsewhere.” – he pointed out.
After arriving in Austin with the goal of closing the gap to Max Verstappen, Lando Norris now finds himself (at least in the Sprint) in the opposite position: having to limit the damage. “There’s always hope of recovering positions,” Lando Norris concluded, “but in terms of pace, I think fourth position reflects exactly where we are. My plan is to move up, but honestly, I have no idea how far I can go.”
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