Norris says McLaren lacked pace despite Mexico Q2 peak

After topping Q2, Lando Norris qualified sixth for the Mexico City Grand Prix and said McLaren were too slow to turn the weekend’s flashes of speed into a stronger result.

Norris said his Q2 lap was exceptional and that repeating it in Q3 was impossible. He illustrated the volatility with Turn 12: a headwind helped him gain about 0.15 seconds on one lap, he said; when he tried the same speed on the next, he lost the rear and a tenth.

Norris had been second-fastest on Friday and quickest in final practice, but teammate Oscar Piastri was eliminated in Q2 and qualified 13th. McLaren’s post-qualifying account also described the MCL40 as inconsistent at crucial moments, citing a sudden loss of rear grip for Piastri and a messy corner that ended Norris’s second Q3 attempt. Team principal Andrea Stella said the car could behave unpredictably at the limit in windy, slippery conditions.