McLaren Drivers Take Fourth Row for US Grand Prix
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris face a fight from the middle of the pack after a challenging qualifying session.
Updated on Oct. 25, 2026 in Motorsports
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McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris secured the seventh and eighth starting positions respectively for this weekends United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas. A deleted lap time due to a track limits infringement hindered the team during a challenging qualifying session.
Why it matters
Local race fans watching the team fight for a podium finish at COTA will see McLaren start from the fourth row on Sunday. The team struggled to find consistency during qualifying as changing track conditions and strong winds affected driver performance.
McLaren drivers secured the seventh and eighth qualifying spots for Sunday, with Oscar Piastri trailing in his Q3 session by just 2 milliseconds. The team must now look to overcome this mid-pack start to challenge for a podium position.
The players
Oscar Piastri
A McLaren driver who qualified seventh for the United States Grand Prix.
Lando Norris
A McLaren driver who qualified eighth for the United States Grand Prix.
Circuit of the Americas
The Austin-based racing facility hosting the United States Grand Prix.
The details
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris both start the race on the fourth row of the grid after facing a difficult Friday session. Norris saw one of his qualifying lap times deleted following a track limits infringement at the penultimate corner. The team now pivots to race strategy, aiming to execute a clean performance to gain positions during the main event.
Timeline
The qualifying session for the United States Grand Prix took place on 2026-10-24.
The United States Grand Prix race is scheduled for 2026-10-25.
The Texas Context
The United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas continues a long-standing tradition of major international racing events in Austin. This qualifying session sets the stage for the main race, where grid positions often dictate the success of strategies on this specific track.
Spectators attending the race at the Circuit of the Americas should prepare for another day of high-speed action this Saturday. Fans should monitor live track updates to see if the team can overcome the fourth-row grid position during the race.
The takeaway
McLaren aims to move both cars toward the podium despite the challenging mid-pack start. Watch for adjustments in race pace during the Grand Prix on Saturday to see if the team can recover from their qualifying result.
Further reading
For more updates from the track, visit our Motorsports section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Pit Pass.
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