McLaren Struggles with Grip and Consistency in US GP Practice

McLaren faced a challenging Friday at the Circuit of the Americas, with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris struggling to find a consistent rhythm. While Ferrari's Charles Leclerc dominated both practice sessions, the McLaren duo found themselves slipping down the order by the end of FP2, leaving them with work to do before Saturday's qualifying.

Why it matters:

Consistency is the primary hurdle for McLaren as they move toward the weekend. While the underlying pace is evident—highlighted by Norris's third-place finish in FP1—the inability to replicate those laps suggests a window of instability that could jeopardize their qualifying performance and race strategy against a dominant Ferrari.

The details:

• Performance Dip: Oscar Piastri finished seventh in FP1 and eighth in FP2, ending the day 1.096s behind Leclerc. Lando Norris showed early strength (3rd in FP1) but dropped to seventh in FP2.
• Grip Issues: Both drivers reported a lack of expected grip from the soft compound tyres, exacerbated by gusting winds and struggles with track limits.
• Technical Focus: The team tested updates to suspension, brake ducts, and aerodynamics. While medium- and high-speed sections remain strong, the car is underperforming in the circuit's slower corners.
• Internal Outlook: CTO Rob Marshall noted that long-run data remains positive, suggesting the FP2 standings do not fully reflect the car's actual potential or the close balance among the top four teams.

What's next:

McLaren is opting for "targeted tweaks" rather than drastic setup changes overnight to stabilize the car's handling. With FP3 and qualifying looming, the team's priority is refining the balance to ensure the raw speed seen early Friday can be sustained consistently across a full lap.