Jolyon Palmer Highlights Lando Norris' Struggles at the United States Grand Prix

Jolyon Palmer, a former F1 driver and current analyst, noted that McLaren's Lando Norris seemed to let his mistakes get the better of him during the practice sessions at the 2026 United States Grand Prix. The Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, proved challenging for Norris, who started strong but faded as the day progressed. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc dominated the timing sheets, setting the fastest laps in both FP1 and FP2. Norris began the first session in third but fell to seventh in the second, with his time deficit to Leclerc expanding significantly.

Ferrari introduced a substantial upgrade package for the U.S. Grand Prix, complete with new floor and diffuser components, which seem to be paying dividends. Leclerc's best lap in FP2 clocked in at 1:35.291, underscoring Ferrari's strong performance. Meanwhile, Norris struggled with a series of errors, including a notable snap under braking at Turn 15 that caught Palmer's attention. This particular incident disrupted Norris' lap and left him trailing behind his rivals.

Palmer remarked on F1TV, "I think that's a frustrated hammer on the brakes because Norris had already attempted a flying lap and bailed out in the middle sector. He was on another fast lap, and it looks like another mistake from Norris in the McLaren." Norris' attempt to take a wider line into Turn 15 backfired when the rear of his car lost grip, sending him off course and hindering his overall performance.

Adding to Norris' woes, his McLaren's power unit seemed confused by the incident, resulting in a loss of speed that allowed other drivers to breeze past him. Despite holding the fastest middle sector split at one point, Norris could not complete a competitive lap time by session's end. His teammate Oscar Piastri also faced difficulties, finishing FP2 just a fraction slower than Norris, with both drivers left adrift of Leclerc's pace.

Reflecting on his day, Norris admitted to F1TV, "It was just difficult. It was impossible to put a lap together at the minute. There are signs of good pace, but doing it consistently in qualifying is just too difficult right now." Despite the setbacks, Norris remained hopeful, suggesting that minor adjustments to the car might help improve performance.

In the end, the United States Grand Prix practice sessions highlighted the growing gap between teams like Ferrari and McLaren, as well as the ongoing challenges drivers face in mastering the demanding Austin circuit.