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Norris says McLaren lacked pace to match rivals in Austin

Conceptual AI-generated editorial motorsport illustration; not a documentary photograph or evidence that a pictured event, meeting or transfer occurred. · 2026-10-26GPBeat newsroom · News Made Clear generated illustration

Norris finished fifth at the United States Grand Prix and said McLaren could not match Mercedes, Red Bull or Ferrari. He said the team struggled more on medium tyres than on hards.

GPBeat · Newsroom26 Oct 2026, 07:56 · 1 min

Lando Norris said McLaren did not have the pace to stay with Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari at the United States Grand Prix, where he finished fifth in Austin on Sunday.

Norris had been running second in the closing stages before Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton passed him. He said McLaren had done the best it could and that its strategy gave the team chances to fight for positions. The hard tyres worked well for a spell, he said, while McLaren struggled much more on the mediums.

Fifth extended Norris’s run without a podium to four consecutive races. Team-mate Oscar Piastri finished seventh and described his weekend as difficult, saying he had struggled to find lap time. Norris said McLaren had made improvements, but not enough to reach the level the team needed.

Sources 01
  1. PRIMARY SOURCENorris admits McLaren are 'just not quick enough'Formula 1

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