Oscar Piastri believes that if McLaren are competitive in this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix “then that’s a really good sign for the rest of the year”, as the reigning Teams’ Champions have brought further upgrades to try and catch Mercedes.
McLaren enjoyed their most competitive race of the season last time out in Miami, with reigning Drivers’ Champion Lando Norris claiming victory in the Sprint.
The Briton and team mate Piastri then completed the podium in Sunday’s Grand Prix behind race winner and championship leader, Kimi Antonelli.
The team brought a substantial upgrade package to the race in Florida and have brought further modifications to Montreal this weekend, a venue where Norris and Piastri collided last season on one of McLaren’s weaker circuits.
“We know we’ve got a reasonable step again here, which is nice, but it’s not been the easiest circuit for us the last couple of years and it’s been a very strong one for Mercedes,” explained Piastri during Thursday’s media day.
“So it’s going to be interesting to see how we stack up obviously in very different cars this year compared to last year. I think if we can be competitive this weekend then that’s a really good sign for the rest of the year.”
Like in Miami, McLaren have once again opted to bring upgrades during a Sprint weekend, with drivers and teams limited to a single practice session before embarking on Sprint Qualifying.
With limited track time to fine-tune new parts, Norris was asked whether it was a risk implementing the new elements in Canada.
“It’s a risk, of course, but we have the parts. We wouldn’t do it if we didn’t think it was worth it. It’s not like we’re thinking of it now – is it too risky – we’ve thought it for weeks already,” he said.
“I think we have confidence at least that the parts in Miami all worked as expected. We gained probably a lot more lap time, but I think also the Miami track suited us.
“So I think that’s why we’re a little bit more cautious coming to another track where we want to see how Mercedes perform and also how we perform with the upgrades that we had in Miami, and that we’re going to add to the car.”
Mercedes have brought their first substantial upgrade of the season to Montreal, a venue where George Russell claimed victory and team mate Antonelli scored his maiden F1 podium last season.
While McLaren’s upgrades might not be as substantial, Norris admits that anything to help close the gap is a welcome addition on this year’s MCL40.
“Some of them barely change anything. We’re talking tiny things here and there at times, but everything to try and push us in the right direction,” he added.
“The more the merrier and anything that can help us be a little bit quicker, especially when you’re talking about thousandths and hundredths, is a good thing.”
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