In Formula 1, taking risks can either lead to glory or send a team spiralling into complete disaster. McLaren’s decision to start both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris on intermediate tyres proved to be the wrong call in Montreal. To make matters worse, the reigning world champion also suffered technical problems on his MCL40, while the Australian driver received a penalty following contact with Alex Albon, further complicating his recovery drive toward the points, eventually finishing just outside the top ten.
It was a bitterly disappointing outcome for the Woking-based team, especially after showing encouraging pace during qualifying and the Sprint race. A frustrating double zero for McLaren, although one that could provide extra motivation ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix. Below are the reactions from the Papaya duo and team principal Andrea Stella following a difficult weekend in Canada.
Oscar Piastri reflects on difficult Montreal race
“It wasn’t the day we were hoping for. We decided to start on intermediate tyres because the track became quite wet between the national anthem and getting into the car, but in the end it turned out to be the wrong decision. Then I picked up some damage in the collision with Albon. I apologise to him and to the Williams team. After that, we did everything we could to try and recover, but it was really very difficult out there,” admitted the Australian driver.
“There are still positives to take away from this weekend. I feel like I made progress in some areas and we took a step forward in reducing the gap to Mercedes. Now we regroup, analyse everything and shift our focus to Monaco,” he concluded.
Lando Norris disappointed after missed opportunity
The reigning world champion shared a similar view to his teammate: “Today was tough. We decided to start on intermediate tyres because there was still light rain falling on the grid and, although the start was fantastic, the rain eased off and that decision already proved to be the wrong one after the opening lap. That’s racing. Sometimes those decisions win you a race, other times they don’t, and I take my share of responsibility for that choice.”
“We also had to deal with a couple of early pit stops and then, in the end, a mechanical issue forced us to retire. In the cold conditions we struggled to get the front tyres into the right operating window, which made the car difficult to drive, but despite that I think we were on course to score points,” Norris added.
“There are still many positives to take away from this weekend. Our pace was good, we fought closely with Mercedes and the support from the fans was incredible. We will analyse the issue, continue working on tyre warm-up in lower temperatures and come back stronger. We will learn from the choices we made today and aim to turn that speed into a clean result and valuable points next time,” he concluded.
Andrea Stella explains McLaren’s difficult Sunday
“It was a Sprint weekend split into two very different halves. We were competitive in qualifying and in the Sprint race, but the Grand Prix itself did not go the way we hoped. We opted for intermediate tyres five minutes before the start because the track was slippery and it was still raining; unfortunately, the rain stopped as soon as we fitted the tyres, the circuit dried very quickly and the two additional formation laps cancelled out any advantage,” admitted Andrea Stella.
The Italian team principal then focused on the issues both drivers experienced during the race before giving his overall assessment of the MCL40’s performance: “With Lando we had a problem on the car, we had to stop to clean the radiators and then we suffered an irreparable gearbox failure. As for Oscar, the collision with Albon damaged the car and resulted in a penalty, while even in clean air we struggled to generate the tyre temperatures needed for strong race pace.
“This is racing, and it is on difficult days like these that character is built and the qualities that make a champion truly emerge. We are grateful for all the support, we will regroup and come back fighting in Monaco,” he concluded.
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