Norris says McLaren still a step behind after Austin's first two practices

After the first two practice sessions in Austin, Lando Norris said McLaren remained a step behind Red Bull and Ferrari, and possibly Mercedes too. He had already raised concerns about the team's deficit at the media day.

The gap was clear in FP2: Norris finished more than a second behind session leader Charles Leclerc. Oscar Piastri also fell significantly short of the competition across the first two sessions.

Norris said McLaren's pace was not especially poor, but he was frustrated that the upgrades brought for the weekend had yet to bear fruit.

He described the car as difficult to drive, with consistent performance and a good feel hard to achieve. He clarified that the problem was not so much drivability as getting the car fast. McLaren still had to work hard at that, he said.