McLaren left Saturday’s Formula 1 at the Canadian GP excited after closing the gap to Mercedes in the Sprint race and qualifying session for the GP. With Lando Norris in third and Oscar Piastri in fourth on the starting grid, the team believes the forecasted rain could open important opportunities in Sunday’s race.
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The British team managed to place their two cars right behind the Mercedes and highlighted the evolution of the MCL40 throughout the weekend in Montreal. Team principal Andrea Stella stated that the team is satisfied with the progress shown and sees clear signs that the car is more competitive in the corners.
Norris finished the Sprint in second position after taking advantage of the intense battle between George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, both from Mercedes. The Briton highlighted McLaren’s strategy execution and acknowledged that the battle between the Mercedes drivers was decisive for the result: “We put ourselves in the right position to capitalize when the drivers ahead started fighting for position, and we came away with very valuable points,” he said.
The British driver also commented that the qualifying session was extremely close, with minimal differences deciding the grid positions. Norris revealed that he lost time on the final attempt after a car slipped in front of him, which dirtied his tires and also caused him to lose the slipstream on the back straight: “We needed to be perfect to beat Mercedes today,” he added.
Piastri also evaluated Saturday positively, especially after regaining position over Lewis Hamilton at the end of the Sprint race. The Australian explained that wind changes altered the car’s behavior compared to the Sprint qualifying but highlighted the progress made before the GP qualifying session.
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According to the Australian, the low temperatures made working with the tires difficult, especially in the first sector of the track: “We are closer to Mercedes and managed to pressure them, but we still lacked a bit,” said the McLaren driver, who starts fourth in the Canadian GP.
Meanwhile, Stella emphasized that the team sees a positive trend in reducing the gap to Mercedes in Montreal. The McLaren chief highlighted that the performance in the Sprint and the proximity of less than two tenths in qualifying show that the team is ‘going in the right direction’.
However, the Italian executive acknowledged that Mercedes still seems to have an advantage in pure race pace. Even so, Stella believes that possible rain could completely change the scenario of the Canadian GP: “We haven’t had many laps in wet conditions this season, so that adds an unknown element. But if it rains, opportunities will arise and we will be ready to fight for the win,” he concluded.
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