McLaren’s MCL39 falls short despite potential
Two words perfectly describe McLaren’s performance in Austin: imperfect, a clear reason why Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri didn’t start at the front. The MCL39 had the pace to do better, yet its potential remained untapped due to various small but critical factors. Max Verstappen claimed pole in turn 20, but it was in the first sector that Lando Norris lost the chance to lead, failing to exploit the car fully up to turn 9.
McLaren fails to maximize MCL39 performance
Woking’s team was expected to dominate the Circuit of the Americas. The characteristics of their cars suit the track, which demands a strong aero-mechanical compromise and, consequently, precise setup optimization—qualities the British car possesses thanks to its flexibility and wide setup window. Yet, something went wrong.
Once again, though, we witness another impressive pole from Max Verstappen. Even Red Bull, according to team principal Laurent Mekies, had anticipated being just one and a half tenths behind McLaren. However, during the first qualifying session of the weekend, the gap disappeared due to multiple factors, primarily Verstappen’s extraordinary talent and Red Bull’s ability to extract maximum performance on track—a level rarely reached, as Frédéric Vasseur often points out.
Small errors and first sector cost Norris
Looking at the MCL39 onboard footage, it’s clear the team didn’t fully “construct” the qualifying lap to its potential, giving Max a subtle advantage. Norris himself admitted to several small errors, particularly in managing the bumps across the track. Despite this, he still set impressive times, showing the car was particularly strong today. There’s a debate whether the MCL39 doesn’t perform at its peak in qualifying or whether the team simply fails to fully extract its potential as they did in 2024.
In his final qualifying attempt, Norris admitted he didn’t handle the circuit optimally: minor steering mistakes combined with bumps on the track slowed him down. At COTA, the ability to manage surface irregularities is crucial. These issues cost him valuable time in the first sector—a section where the car could have been significantly faster with a cleaner line through turn 1 and better performance through the “snake” section. Overall, both cars were closely matched around the lap, but it was Max in the final corner who gained the necessary half-tenth to finish ahead of Norris.
Verstappen excels, Norris slightly off
Telemetry confirms that McLaren couldn’t fully express the car’s potential, whereas Red Bull pushed slightly beyond their limits, thanks to an aggressive team philosophy that embraces risk, feeding the competitive DNA that defines the Austrian squad. Both cars, however, were extremely well-balanced.
The RB21 no longer suffers from the notorious understeer that plagued it before the summer break. Adjustments to the floor and focused work on the front wing have significantly improved balance, giving Verstappen a very solid front end, sometimes even overly reactive—a testament to technical development pushing the limits of dynamic equilibrium.
F1 Austin GP: Max at his best, Lando just short
Verstappen knows how to manage this setup perfectly, “neutralizing” it with masterful control through corner entry and always demanding the maximum from the handling. His ability to extract that difference is extraordinary, unmatched by anyone else on the grid.
It’s also interesting how both cars match almost meter for meter around the lap. Both teams developed setups to optimize the full track, unlike past sessions. The RB21 expanded its operating window, remaining effective even on high-downforce circuits, maintaining an extremely tight and competitive battle.
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