Here's the thing about a brutal weekend: it leaves a mark, and Lando Norris is carrying that straight into the United States Grand Prix after a tough outing in Singapore. The biggest talking point heading into Austin revolves around team orders following a dramatic final-lap collision between the reigning World Champion and teammate Oscar Piastri during the Sprint at the previous round. Norris shouldered the blame for the crash, even though the stewards officially categorized it as a racing incident.
Speaking on Thursday's media day at the track, Norris made it clear that the garage doors are not closed on their intra-team battle. Both he and Piastri keep the green light to race each other, but the margin for error has completely vanished. "I got plenty of telling-offs, and plenty of words have been said. But we’re still allowed to race," said Norris. A repeat of the Singapore shunt, or a throwback to last year's Turn 1 Sprint collision in Austin, simply stays off the table.
This isn’t a car you can win a championship with. I still believe a win is possible this year. We just need a quicker car now if we want to get another win,
"Of course, we can’t have what happened last weekend, or what happened here last year, happening again," Norris added. "So, no, we’re still allowed to race, but obviously we can’t have a coming together, and we have to avoid that at every opportunity possible."
Beyond the intra-team drama, McLaren's actual machinery tells a story of a machine that is violently difficult to extract lap time from. The team has cooled off since a blistering summer run where the Briton secured three pole positions and two victories in the Netherlands and Hungary. Despite finding raw speed, Norris points out that the current beast is profoundly unforgiving when pushed right to the edge.
"This was a car in which putting together a Qualifying lap was almost impossible, and being as quick as we were was almost impossible," said Norris. Recalling his tight pole positions won by margins like two hundredths of a second or less, he admitted it was never a walkover. Calling it one of the hardest cars he has ever driven, the Briton explained that personal execution allowed him to get away with it, but the chassis lacks the underlying traits needed for a sustained title fight.
"This isn’t a car you can win a championship with. I still believe a win is possible this year. We just need a quicker car now if we want to get another win," Norris said. Looking ahead to next season, the priority is absolute: a machine that drivers can actually manage. "Because, yeah, you cannot win a championship with how difficult the car is to drive at the minute."
