McLaren struggling in Canada: Win not considered substantial
Cracking the Code in Quebec: Piastri Chills Yet Optimistic, Norris Struggles
In a rollercoaster of events at the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix qualifying session, McLaren's high-flying leader, Oscar Piastri, remained unfazed in the face of the team's unease. Despite a third-place finish, Piastri, the young Australian, was unfazed, maintaining, "Our race pace is usually robust. It's not going to be a cakewalk, but we can compete." Shockingly, Piastri found himself behind George Russell and Max Verstappen, the reigning champ in the Red Bull.
Norris Makes Mistakes, Sinks Lower
The hit was much harder for McLaren's 2024 World Championship runner-up, Lando Norris. Despite the Briton's confidence, good car performance, and a stellar vehicle hitherto, he suffered a setback, only managing seventh place in the race-ready McLaren from the past months. "I had the confidence, the car was good, but I simply made too many errors," concluded the sometimes-scrappy Norris, aged 27. However, the resilient Briton believes better days are on the horizon for the forthcoming race. "Our car is good, we should bounce back," Norris affirmed.
Tough Times for McLaren
Despite their commanding lead in the constructors' championship, McLaren seemed to encounter a previously unseen gauntlet over the weekend. "We're grappling with issues this weekend," shared Piastri, who leads the standings by a comfortable ten points over Norris. Verstappen, the four-time Dutch champion, trails in third place, 49 points adrift. Interestingly, Verstappen has clinched victory in Canada each of the previous three years, and Piastri, as well as Norris, are yet to secure a career victory in Quebec.
However, the weekend wasn't all bad. McLaren experimented with an updated front suspension intended to provide more driver feedback during free practice. While Norris opted to embrace the upgrades for qualifying, Piastri held on to the configuration he had dominated with all season. Unfortunately, the other teams, such as Red Bull, Mercedes, and Williams, seemed unaffected by McLaren's changes, making the path to victory steeper.
The McLaren MCL39 has been described as feeling "numb" by team principal Andrea Stella, causing challenges in getting precise feedback for drivers. While Piastri has managed to adapt, Norris has been impacted, potentially contributing to his flagging performance. Furthermore, the cooler conditions seemed to favor Mercedes, making it difficult for McLaren to compete on equal terms. The team will undoubtedly aim to regroup during the remaining practice sessions in an attempt to outshine their competitors on Sunday.
After a challenging qualifying session, Lando Norris, McLaren's 2024 World Championship runner-up, lamented his seventh place finish, acknowledging, "I made too many errors." Meanwhile, sports enthusiasts couldn't help but notice that while the team's front runner, Oscar Piastri, secured a respectable third place, he found himself behind both George Russell and Max Verstappen in the race-ready McLaren. In the midst of their struggles, Piastri kept his optimism afloat, stating, "Like hockey, we can't always win every game, but we can compete in sports."
![Odilon Kossounou remains absent from Leverkusen. [Image Attached]](/en/img/20250616172047_image-seascape-sunset-rocky-cliff-beach-landscape-ocean-waves-horizon-silhouette.jpeg?width=1280&crop=4-3&quality=75)
