Norris misery after 'shocking' start to USGP weekend

Lando Norris was left frustrated after a "shocking" final lap in sprint qualifying at the Circuit of the Americas put him fourth on the sprint grid. 

Norris is at risk of seeing Max Verstappen increase his lead in the F1 drivers' title, as the Dutchman will start from pole position for the sprint ahead of the United States Grand Prix.

The MCL38 looked unsettled during the only practice session of the weekend and in sprint qualifying, which caught out Oscar Piastri who starts P16. 

Norris also struggled with the balance of the car and its set-up, despite McLaren having fitted a new upgrades package. 

He was downbeat after the session but recognises it could have been worse.

"Not very good, P4," said Norris when assessing his session. "So not a great day, I've been struggling the whole day, honestly, with the balance and the setup. 

"So, anyway, happy with P4, because I felt like it could have been a lot worse, but my lap was shocking. So yeah, not a terrible day. Could have been worse, could be better, but I'll take it."

When asked if it was due to not having enough time to dial in McLaren's upgrades, Norris revealed that the updated package is similar to what he had already been using. 

"It's not a new package, it's pretty much the same," revealed Norris.

With minimal data having been gathered due to the sprint format, the British driver is unsure whether making ground will be possible during the sprint race. 

When asked if he knows his race pace, Norris said: "No, not really. "I hope to go forward, that's my plan, but on pace, I think we are where we deserve to be. 

"So my plan is to go forward, but I have no idea how much we can."