‘Tricky’ Friday leaves McLaren searching for more in Canada

McLaren endured a subdued opening day at the Canadian Grand Prix, with championship leader Oscar Piastri admitting that unlocking the full potential of the MCL39 proved “tricky” during Friday’s practice sessions at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Despite late improvements, both Piastri and teammate Lando Norris acknowledged the team is playing catch-up heading into a critical qualifying day.

While Norris managed to salvage a competitive lap in FP2, finishing just 0.028 seconds behind Mercedes’ George Russell, Piastri ended the session in sixth. The reigning Constructors’ champions, however, remain optimistic about closing the gap.

Piastri: Progress Made, but More Needed

Piastri, who leads Norris by 10 points in the Drivers’ championship, reflected candidly on the team’s performance.

“It definitely ended better than it started but I think still some improvements to try and make,” he said.

The Australian highlighted the difficulty in finding the car’s optimal setup, noting, “It’s been a little bit of a tricky day just trying to find the window of the car. I think we are getting there, but we still need to find a bit more.”

Despite the challenges, Piastri drew encouragement from the team’s progress between Friday’s sessions, while also addressing the new front wing introduced by Mclaren in Montreal, confirming it performed as expected.

“I think we made a good step from FP1 to FP2 and just need to try and make the same step again I guess,” he added.

“The new parts have done what we expected them to but hopefully we can find a bit more.”

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With the competition appearing tight and tyre strategy adding complexity, Piastri remained composed.

“The competition looks close,” he added. “Also, just knowing what tyres to use is an interesting discussion as well. I’m sure we’ll see how we can find a bit more.

“No alarm bells, just trying to get the car in a better window and get me in a better window.”

Norris: “Probably One of the Trickiest We’ve Had”

While Norris finished the second session just shy of Russell’s benchmark, his underlying assessment was more reserved.

The Briton admitted he only managed to put together a single representative lap across both sessions, citing difficulties with consistency and balance.

“A tricky day. Probably one of the trickiest we’ve had this year,” Norris said.

“A little bit off the pace compared to some of the others. Difficult to put a lap together and be consistent. I did one good lap the whole session, so we have some work to do.”

Overall, both drivers echoed a sense of cautious optimism heading into Saturday, with McLaren not far off the pace on paper, but clearly still searching for rhythm and comfort in the car.

With a mixed weather forecast for the remainder of the weekend and a field looking tightly bunched, small gains overnight could prove crucial.

As it stands, McLaren remain in contention, but far from dominant, as the Canadian GP weekend ramps up.

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