Norris backs McLaren’s one-stop strategy after Austin fifth

Lando Norris said McLaren’s one-stop strategy at the United States Grand Prix was the right call for him, despite finishing fifth after losing ground late in the race on worn tyres. He rejected the suggestion that he had disagreed with the team’s decision to stay out. Norris started eighth at the Circuit of the Americas and gained three places. McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri finished seventh. Norris had moved ahead of Piastri earlier in the race after McLaren instructed the Australian to let him through, a decision Norris called obvious, according to his post-race account. McLaren kept both cars on a one-stop strategy while rivals Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc made second pit stops. Norris said he had hoped the hard tyres would last longer, but their degradation made it difficult to defend. Verstappen and Leclerc passed him, and Lewis Hamilton also got by. Norris said he had been surprised by how competitive the car remained on the hard tyres, but that traffic and the tyres’ condition eventually worked against him. Asked whether he was upset about the strategy, Norris said he was happy with the team’s work. He said the decision came down to whether to pit for another set...