McLaren uneasy: Norris' imbalance issue, Piastri chases answers

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris have all had their say on McLaren's Friday running at the Mexico City Grand Prix, with plenty of question marks still hanging over the papaya-coloured team.

After nine drivers sat out of the first free practice session, all 20 drivers were back behind the wheel for FP2, with Norris finishing the session fourth, while championship leader Piastri could only take P12.

The Australian will be looking to break a slump in his recent results, searching for his first podium in three races at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez as Max Verstappen, who topped the timing sheets in FP2, continues his title charge.

"It was ok. The lap on the softs on low fuel was pretty average, so I'm not surprised with the lap time," the Australian explained to F1TV after FP2.

Oscar Piastri in action in Mexico City - Photo: Race Pictures

"Tried a lot of things, we'll go through and have a look at what worked, what didn't, but overall I felt reasonable. We'll see what we can tune up for tomorrow, and try to make things just a bit more consistent is the biggest thing.

"There were a few things we identified from Austin. Obviously, it was a pretty messy weekend as well. Plenty of things that we found, all small things, but when you put them all together, they add up. I think we've got a good handle on last week.

But can Piastri and McLaren find some extra pace and challenge Verstappen and Red Bull throughout the rest of the weekend? "I think so. It's going to be tight, like always, but I think we have a good car underneath us."

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Norris: 'The balance of the car is all over the place'

There was a bit more joy for Norris at the end of Friday's running in Mexico City, getting up to speed quickly in his first session of the weekend after he missed out on FP1, with Pato O'Ward replacing him.

However, despite the P4 finish for the Brit, there are still plenty of issues that he and his McLaren mechanic will work on before Saturday's running takes place.

"I think we're in a reasonable place, for sure. I feel like I got up to speed very quickly, actually, I was quite surprised," Norris explained to F1TV.

Lando Norris in the Mexico City paddock - Photo: Race Pictures

"My first lap was pretty good, and the second lap was a good step. So, yes, I felt like I found the limit quickly, but that is just holding us back a bit.

"Not that it was a bad day, but normally we're very good on a Friday, and then everyone catches up on Saturday. We're already a little bit behind, so we definitely have some work to do tonight.

"The balance of the car is just a bit all over the place, the same as the last few weeks, just single lap stuff. We're struggling at the moment, so yes, we're working hard. We're trying everything we can, so we'll see what we can do and see what we can find."