Lando Norris Reveals McLaren Upgrade Issues After US GP Sprint Qualifying Disappointment

Saajan Jogia | Oct 19, 2024

Oct 18, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; McLaren Formula 1 Team driver Lando Norris (4) of Team Great Britain walks through the paddock area before practice for the 2024 US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Lando Norris has highlighted balance and setup problems on his McLaren MCL38 F1 car during the United States Grand Prix sprint race qualifying at the Circuit of the Americas. However, he was quite happy with the fourth-place finish, considering "it could have been a lot worse."

Considering Norris's recent run of victories and pole positions, finishing between the two Ferrari drivers felt "shocking" to him. He was only 0.25 seconds off from Max Verstappen, who claimed pole position.

The recent upgrades on the McLaren may require further fine-tuning or adjustment, especially given that Mercedes' George Russell outqualified Norris in second, with Charles Leclerc securing third. Norris placed fourth and sixth in SQ1 and SQ2, respectively, trailing the fastest times in each session by just over two-tenths of a second. In SQ3, he once again fell short by a similar margin, missing out on a front-row start for the USGP sprint race.

Speaking to the media after sprint qualifying, the McLaren driver said:

"[It was] not very good. P4, so not a great day. I've been struggling the whole day, honestly, with the balance and the set-up.

"In a way I'm happy with P4 because I felt like it could have been a lot worse, but my lap was shocking. Not a terrible day and it could have been worse, but could have been better. But I'll take it."

Norris then highlighted that changes from the new upgrade package were not felt on his MCL38, suggesting that “It’s not a new package, it’s pretty much the same.”

With all eyes set on the US GP sprint race to see if McLaren can challenge Red Bull this time, Norris was asked if he had an idea about his race pace. He said:

“No, not really.

“I hope to go forward, that’s my plan, but on pace I think we are where we deserve to be today, so my plan is to go forward but I have no idea how much we can.”

Speaking of the Papaya outfit's upgrades on the car, the list of parts replaced is quite extensive—from brake duct modifications to updates on the front wing, front suspension, and a new beam wing designed to reduce drag. Speaking on the upgrades, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said:

"After a busy few weeks back at the factory to consolidate and strengthen our championship campaign, we now head to Austin for the first of two triple headers. We're only six races away from the end of the season but there are still a lot of points on the table. Many teams will be bringing updates in these final races, so we expect some close competition, but as always, we keep our heads down, focus on ourselves and look to consistently deliver points in our quest for both titles."