The Canadian Grand Prix, despite the incident between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, was a weekend to forget for McLaren, the championship leader. The absence of a McLaren driver on the podium and on the front row of the grid was an unusual occurrence this year. Although atypical results are common in dominant championship campaigns, such as Red Bull’s surprising weekend in Singapore 2023, they often reveal key aspects of the season. McLaren’s performance in Canada was not a disaster, but it highlighted potential future obstacles. McLaren anticipated that the design of the Montreal circuit, with its long straights and chicanes, would not favor the strengths of its car. This result, although it did not raise alarms in Woking, England, did generate cautious optimism among its rivals.
Given the lack of explanation from the team regarding the collision between the McLarens, it’s necessary to go back 24 hours to understand the performance. Although Piastri or Norris could have won if they had started from the front row, Piastri’s third place and Norris’s seventh in Saturday’s qualifying revealed the car’s difficulties on the circuit.
The Barcelona-Catalunya circuit, where McLaren achieved a one-two finish weeks earlier, contrasts with Montreal. The high-speed corners of Spain highlighted the aerodynamic load and balance of the McLaren car, surpassing its rivals by more than 0.4 seconds in qualifying. McLaren’s ability to protect tires from overheating, crucial in Spain, was irrelevant in Canada. In Montreal, the drivers focused on avoiding “graining”, a phenomenon that reduces grip. The problem was evident on Piastri’s front left tire.“I think one of the reasons why this circuit has been a bit difficult… is that the car couldn’t generate much grip. There’s a lot of braking and traction [in Montreal]. You’re on the brakes or on the accelerator, and in both conditions, the car struggled a bit,” stated Stella.
Andrea Stella
McLaren’s relatively poor performance allowed Mercedes to capitalize, taking advantage of the circuit characteristics that favored their car. George Russell won the race and Kimi Antonelli achieved the first podium of his career, finishing third.
Since 2022, Mercedes has struggled to balance its car in low and high-speed corners. Montreal, with its predominance of low-speed corners, simplified the equation. The team achieved a good setup for the chicanes and hairpin, without being affected by the high-speed corners. The absence of long high-speed curves facilitated the control of tire temperature. Montreal’s rapid transitions demand confidence and stability in braking, but do not generate significant stress on the tires. Toto Wolff, Mercedes director, explained that the circuit design favored his team. The smooth asphalt surface, less abrasive, also benefited the Mercedes car, which suffers from tire degradation and overheating. Mercedes also used a new rear suspension setup in Montreal, designed to combat tire overheating. Although it provided improvements, it will need a more demanding test to be considered a significant change.Russell added that the circuit suited his car’s strengths in a similar way to the previous year. He acknowledged that, on most circuits, the team faces challenges, so this result is significant. In short, Sunday’s result is probably a setback for McLaren, not a turning point in the championship. However, it shows that there are still possibilities for surprises in the remainder of the 2025 season.“In these regulations, you never know if you’re going to get a development or not. The correlation has been difficult, especially for us. The circuit design is different, the asphalt is different, and there’s never a magic solution that turns a podium car into a dominant winner,” Wolff commented.
Toto Wolff
