McLaren sees podium potential in Austin, but Norris calls fifth the maximum

McLaren left the 2026 United States Grand Prix in Austin with fifth and seventh after what it called a disappointing qualifying, but it was more optimistic about the MCL40’s race pace than its drivers. The team said its upgrades contributed positively and the car could fight for a podium. Norris climbed from eighth to fifth but said the car still lacked outright speed to challenge higher up; Piastri started and finished seventh and said it lacked the pace to make up places.

McLaren’s first strategic move came on lap eight, when it switched the cars’ order after judging Norris had more pace and a better chance of attacking the cars ahead. The team said it had discussed the option with both drivers before the race. Both McLarens started on medium tyres; Piastri changed to hards on lap 15 and Norris followed a lap later. Each ultimately completed the race with one stop.

Those early stops put both cars in two-stop territory, although stretching to one stop remained possible. Both McLarens undercut Russell, and Norris also got ahead of Hadjar. Later stops by Verstappen, Hamilton and Leclerc lifted Norris to second. He stayed out to complete a one-stop, with a possible Safety Car in mind. None came, and rivals on fresher tyres passed him, but he had enough in hand to finish fifth ahead of Hadjar. Norris said he pushed beyond the car’s comfort zone to stay in contention and paid for it in the second stint; he considered fifth the maximum.

Piastri’s race became a defence of seventh against Russell. The Mercedes had a seven-lap tyre advantage and repeatedly closed into Overtaking Mode range before dropping back. Piastri withstood the attacks and finished 1.6 seconds ahead, with Russell’s Mercedes in his mirrors for the final 20 laps.

Team principal Andrea Stella said the starting positions had made a podium fight virtually unattainable, and that McLaren was frustrated not to have fully exploited its qualifying potential. Norris named qualifying performance and car predictability as priorities; Piastri said Mexico’s low grip and high altitude could prove tricky.