McLaren has consistently held a tyre-wear advantage over its rivals this season, but at the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix, it couldn’t capitalise on that strength when it mattered most.
A lack of performance in Montreal, compounded by its two drivers clashing in the latter stages of the race, resulted in McLaren’s worst Grand Prix of the 2025 season.
Friday’s practice provided insight into the struggles that would plague the Woking-based squad throughout the weekend.
Oscar Piastri slipped from third to fourth behind Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli, while Lando Norris remained in seventh place following an error-strewn qualifying session.
In a two-stop strategy race, the order at the front remained unchanged, with George Russell leading Max Verstappen.
But with both McLarens running fourth and fifth, the team began closing the gap to the top three — helped by its superior tyre performance.
However, Piastri grew frustrated with the Italian rookie ahead, leading to a squabble between McLaren teammates as Antonelli pulled away.
The battle ended in disaster when Norris attempted an audacious move, damaging his MCL39 in the process.
Reflecting on his fourth-place finish, the championship leader explained that McLaren had simply run out of laps to demonstrate the clear tyre advantage it had shown at other tracks this season.
“Our pace wasn’t great in the first stint on the Medium tyres,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“I think where we came into our own was when everyone else was degrading, we were good.
“And unfortunately, we probably needed the race to be about 100 laps, not 70, to take advantage of that.
“We were quick at points. I think at other points we didn’t have enough, and I think the whole race we didn’t really have enough of an advantage to make track overtakes. So, a bit frustrating.”
McLaren looks to rebound in Austria after Montreal setback
Up next on the F1 calendar is the Austrian Grand Prix — an opportunity for McLaren to bounce back after a disappointing weekend at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Despite its recent struggles and rivals like Red Bull resolving balance issues and Mercedes introducing a new suspension upgrade to tackle tyre overheating, Piastri remains confident about McLaren’s prospects for the rest of the season.
“I think as a team we recognised it was a challenging one and we need to be stronger,” he added.
“So, plenty of things to work on and obviously not content finishing [off the podium].
“But Mercedes were quick here last year. I feel like this is kind of the result that they should have achieved last year, I guess.
“So, we’ll see. I am still confident in our team for the long haul.”
Team Principal Andrea Stella suggested that the challenges McLaren faced in Montreal were largely track-specific.
Therefore, at the Red Bull Ring, normality could resume for the reiging Constructors Champions.
READ MORE – Why McLaren hasn’t been as competitive at F1 Canadian GP
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