Oscar Piastri faced a challenging opening day at the 2026 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, finishing seventh in FP1 before dropping one spot in the afternoon session. The Australian driver finished 0.734s behind Charles Leclerc, who topped both sessions for Ferrari, and later fell 1.096s off the pace during the second practice running.
Having completed 50 laps across both sessions, Piastri openly acknowledged that the Woking-based squad still needed to find significant performance to close the gap to the front-runners. The primary hurdle encountered on track was a distinct lack of grip, hindering both drivers from extracting maximum potential through the challenging corners of the Texas venue.
"It’s clear that we have a bit of time to find on track," Piastri said reflecting on his difficult Friday practice. "We tried a few different things during the sessions that we now need to fully analyse to see how we can better maximise performance from the car."
He further emphasized that tire traction remained the core area requiring immediate attention ahead of the competitive sessions. "The main thing we’re struggling with is grip, so we have work to do on that side of things. We’ll see what we can do overnight to get us in a better spot ahead of qualifying tomorrow," he added.
Throughout Friday, McLaren evaluated minor adjustments to its suspension setup and brake ducts alongside various aerodynamic assessments. However, the second practice session presented further complications as both drivers transitioned onto the soft compound tires, while gusting winds and strict track limits hindered their flying lap attempts.
Meanwhile, teammate Lando Norris showed more encouraging signs of pace during the opening hour by placing third, just 0.245s adrift of Leclerc, before slipping to seventh in FP2, finishing a mere 0.014s ahead of Piastri.
"We saw encouraging signs of pace today, but it’s been tough to repeat that lap after lap," Norris noted regarding the team's consistency. "We’re focusing on small, targeted tweaks overnight rather than anything drastic to get on top of the car’s handling."
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