McLaren sees long-run promise but seeks consistency in Austin

McLaren ended Friday practice at the United States Grand Prix with a mixed picture: Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finished seventh and eighth in FP2, while the team assessed its long-run pace positively. McLaren said both drivers found strong sectors but could not combine them into a complete lap; gusting wind made it harder to stay within track limits after they switched to soft tyres.

Norris set 1:36.373, 0.014 seconds ahead of Piastri on 1:36.387. In FP1 they had been third and seventh respectively, with times of 1:36.297 and 1:36.786. McLaren kept changes between the sessions minimal to aid comparisons; both cars started FP2 on hard tyres before switching to softs. The team said track limits troubled most of the field, particularly at Turns 9, 12, 19 and 20.

McLaren used FP1 to test minor brake-duct and suspension upgrades, alongside flow-vis and aerodynamic tests. The drivers worked on COTA’s new bumps, braking points and energy deployment. Rob Marshall, McLaren’s chief technical officer and chief designer, said the updates seemed to be delivering the expected performance, while slower sections remained an area for development. He also said the top four teams were closer than FP2’s order suggested and that McLaren had not maximised its potential in that session.

After Friday’s sessions, Norris said McLaren remained a step behind the teams ahead and needed to extract speed more consistently, rather than address a drivability issue as such. Piastri said grip was the main struggle. Norris said the overnight work would focus on small, targeted changes; McLaren planned to analyse Friday’s running ahead of Saturday qualifying.