McLaren: Norris had pole in his pocket – Austin GP qualifying analysis
The 2025 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix in Austin once again exposed some of McLaren’s current limitations. Despite high expectations for the weekend, the Woking-based team struggled to convert their potential into results. After the disappointment of the Sprint race—where both MCL39 cars retired prematurely—qualifying for the main Grand Prix also failed to deliver the desired outcome. Max Verstappen once again prevailed, securing pole position ahead of Lando Norris.
The MCL39 setup didn’t perform as hoped in qualifying
Questions are growing around the McLaren Formula 1 team led by Andrea Stella. The so-called “papaya rules” have not helped their consistency, but there are other technical and strategic factors behind the team’s underwhelming result in Texas. On a track that was expected to favor the British team, Red Bull’s dominance continued, leaving McLaren searching for answers amid an evident dip in performance.
The setup compromise McLaren found for the MCL39 wasn’t enough to match Red Bull’s sweet spot. The RB21 currently enjoys a slightly wider performance window, especially in varying conditions. Nevertheless, the gap to the front remains small, and the papaya cars had the potential to be the fastest on track. However, several elements negatively influenced their final outcome.
Both McLarens showed very similar balance characteristics. Their overall handling was strong, but Red Bull still appeared to have a small edge in grip through the first sector. Across the rest of the circuit, both drivers took slightly different approaches to extract the most from their respective cars.
McLaren: Norris lost pole with a mistake in the middle sector
During qualifying, Max Verstappen came close to producing an “ideal” lap time, meaning his best sector times were nearly perfectly combined. Lando Norris, on the other hand, fell further from his ideal reference. That discrepancy proved decisive—his inability to piece together his best mini-sectors in a single lap ultimately cost him pole position.
Norris could have displaced Verstappen from P1, but at the critical moment, he failed to put it all together. On his final Q3 attempt, the British driver set the fastest time only in sector three, while he fell short in the first two sectors. In the opening part of the lap, he was close, but in the middle sector he lost nearly two-tenths compared to his own best effort. Had he managed a cleaner run through that portion, he might have started from pole on Sunday.
Watching the onboard footage makes it clear that the McLaren MCL39 was trickier to handle than the Red Bull RB21. Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri seemed to struggle to combine precision with consistency. Compared to Friday’s Sprint qualifying, McLaren even appeared to take a small step backward. Tyre performance didn’t help either—the MCL39 didn’t fully exploit the compound’s peak grip this time, and the car’s high sensitivity to wind played another crucial role.
The wind continues to trouble McLaren’s car
Understanding the reasons for McLaren’s setback isn’t simple. Compared to Friday, track temperatures remained almost unchanged—around 42°C during the Sprint and just two degrees higher in Saturday’s Q3. The only major change was the wind, a factor Max Verstappen also emphasized. The shifting wind direction once again unsettled McLaren’s balance, especially through the “snake” section of the track, where tailwinds caused instability under acceleration and braking.
McLaren’s MCL39 remains particularly sensitive to both wind strength and direction. This aerodynamic vulnerability likely played a decisive role in their struggles during qualifying. It’s not the first time this issue has hurt them—just remember the Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying session, where strong gusts cost them a near-certain pole to Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari.
Despite missing out on pole, Lando Norris still has a strong chance of fighting for victory in Austin. His race pace has been promising, and if McLaren can optimize tyre management and adapt to changing conditions, he could challenge Verstappen on Sunday. Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri, starting further back, will be eager to make a recovery drive of his own. McLaren’s pace remains close to the front—the team just needs to execute a perfect race to prove it.
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