McLaren limped out of Austin empty-handed, with Lando Norris dropping from second to fifth in the closing laps and Oscar Piastri stuck in seventh. Andrea Stella insists the MCL40 matched Ferrari and Red Bull on race pace, but qualifying eighth and seventh buried them before lights out.
Norris gambled on a one-stop strategy, briefly running second as the leaders pitted twice. The hard tyres couldn't hold — Verstappen, Leclerc, and Lewis Hamilton carved past with fresher rubber, leaving Norris to watch the podium evaporate. Piastri never factored.
It's four straight races without a trophy for Norris after his summer surge. Stella admits the upgrades won't arrive for Mexico City. Brazil and Vegas will bring the next development push, which McLaren needs to get back in the win column. Meanwhile, Kimi Antonelli dominated from the front — a reminder that pace on Sunday means nothing if you can't unlock it on Saturday.
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