Norris drops to eighth at COTA after track-limits breach wipes faster qualifying lap

Lando Norris will start Sunday’s United States Grand Prix from eighth on the grid at Circuit of the Americas after a track-limits breach in Q3 cost him a significantly better qualifying position. The McLaren driver had his second Q3 lap deleted for exceeding the limits at Turn 19, leaving him reliant on his first run, which was only good enough for eighth.

Norris was blunt in his self-assessment after the session. “The car was very strong today in terms of pace,” he said. “Probably the hardest car I’ve ever had to drive in my life. But good enough for P2, so I should be P2 and I’m P8, so clearly, I did a very bad job today.”

The result extends a difficult stretch for McLaren, which has failed to score a podium in its last three grands prix as Red Bull, Mercedes, and Ferrari have moved ahead in development. Norris ultimately qualified a full second behind Mercedes polesitter Kimi Antonelli and 0.835 seconds adrift of second-placed Max Verstappen.

Team-mate Oscar Piastri also qualified eighth row, meaning the two McLarens share row four. Despite topping Q1, Norris acknowledged that many rivals completed that segment on medium tyres rather than softs, complicating direct comparisons.

The frustration is compounded by the fact that McLaren arrived in Texas with the first phase of its final upgrade package of the season, incorporating revised front suspension geometry and an altered diffuser profile. The updates have not resolved the car’s known weaknesses in slow-speed corners and straight-line performance.

“You improve three corners and the other three are a nightmare all of a sudden,” Norris said. “It’s just impossible. It’s an impossible car to achieve the perfection that I want to achieve at the minute.”

Despite the setback, the 26-year-old stopped short of writing off Sunday’s race. “The car was quick, it’s just nasty to drive,” he added. “I still have faith that we can get a good result tomorrow. I don’t know how easy it’s going to be to overtake, but for a lot of the track we seem on par. Tomorrow is a new day.”