McLaren faced challenges in Las Vegas as Norris and Piastri admitted the MCL60 lacked pace, leaving the top 3 unattainable.
Lando Norris qualified sixth in Las Vegas, with the McLaren F1 driver admitting there wasn’t much more he could achieve. His team is eagerly awaiting Qatar and Abu Dhabi, as the Nevada circuit doesn’t suit the MCL60.
“The top 3 was out of reach; the Mercedes cars have been fast all weekend, clearly, and Ferrari followed. Red Bull and ourselves were quite far behind, and that was evident today,” Norris explained.
“We expected a bit more than where we ended up, for sure. It could have been better if the lap had come together, but we were struggling with something different in every corner—one lap it works, the next it doesn’t.”
“It was just too difficult; it was too big a challenge for our car. When you’re trying to find lap time but also not go over the limit, it’s a tough balance to strike.”
The Briton will start alongside Max Verstappen on the grid, just edged out by the Dutchman in qualifying. Aware that his championship hopes are slipping away, Norris aims to prolong the fight as long as possible.
“I’ll do everything I can; that’s what I’m here to do. I won’t give up until the end, even if the chances are extremely slim. I’m here to do my best at every race, whether I’m fighting for the championship or not.”
“I mean, whether he wins tomorrow or not, it won’t change anything for me. He has a good chance of clinching the championship, but I’m here to race and to give my best in every race I can. Whether Max finishes ahead or not, that’s life. He’s just ahead of us today.”
“I think we have a chance to beat them tomorrow, but I’ll go out there and do my best, as I do in every race. Whatever the result, the result will be the result.”
“I’m proud, of course. I mean, I’m the one fighting against Max. So I’m proud it’s me and not someone else. Would I have liked it to go a bit further? Of course. But the race [for the title] was lost in the first six races of the year. That’s when Max dominated, when Red Bull was too far ahead, and the points gap became simply too hard to close.”
“So, I’m proud. I’m happy we managed to get this far, and it’s us, no one else.”
Oscar Piastri qualified eighth and admitted he didn’t expect to be so far off the pace. He too had hoped for a top 3 before realizing it was out of reach for McLaren on Saturday in Las Vegas.
“It was tough. I felt in Q1 and Q2 we were in good shape, but that wasn’t the case in Q3. My lap wasn’t great, but I was never going to be anywhere near pole. It’s going to be an interesting race; there are a few quick cars up front, and tires are a real talking point, so we’ll see,” Piastri said.
“I think FP3 made us look better than we actually were with the red flag. But I was surprised to be so far off; I thought a top 3 was possible, but we were well away from that. We’re quick in the long runs but have some degradation, so we’ll see tomorrow.”
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Las Vegas Qualifying Woes: MCL60 Falls Behind Rivals Las Vegas Qualifying Woes: MCL60 Falls Behind Rivals
