McLaren was one of four teams to start at least one car on intermediate tyres despite the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve surface steadily drying on Sunday.
Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free
With Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri occupying the second row, McLaren had more to lose from that gamble than the teams further back that made the same call; none of those cars began inside the top 10.
Piastri abandoned his inters after a single lap. Norris used his to snatch the lead off the line but came in after one more lap. Both drivers later voiced reservations about the choice after the start was delayed twice by extra formation laps. By that point McLaren felt they could not change tyres without surrendering their grid positions and starting from the pit lane, which was an unattractive prospect.
Pre-race
“Let’s just be ready for anything,” Norris said after being told the other drivers on intermediates were Carlos Sainz Jnr and the Audi and Cadillac entries.
“If the decision is good or not, just be ready for pit stops and everything. Give good call-outs please on risky areas, things like that, things that might make people make mistakes.”
Light drizzle still fell over the start area. Norris’s race engineer, Will Joseph, told him: “Expect this rain to ease off in the next five to ten minutes.”
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter andgo ad-free
While those on slicks were focused on heating their tyres, Piastri was unsure how aggressively to warm his intermediates, which would degrade quickly on a cold, nearly dry track.
“On tyre warm-up, what do you want me to do?” he asked race engineer Tom Stallard. “If there’s wheelspin, do we care about that?”
“I would just prioritise trying to get temperature up,” Stallard replied. “Straight-line speed is the best thing. Try to minimise sliding, but weaving, straight-line speed, put load into the tyres.”
Formation lap one
After leaving the pits for the single planned formation lap, drivers gave mixed assessments of their tyre choice.
“It looks pretty dry but I feel like I have more grip,” Piastri reported. “It feels like I’m floating around quite a bit on these tyres already.”
“It’s the same as before,” Norris said. “I don’t know. We’ll see.”
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter andgo ad-free
Formation lap two
McLaren’s plan took a hit when Arvid Lindblad’s Racing Bulls stalled on the grid, forcing an extra formation lap and giving the surface further time to dry.
“How’s the weather looking?” Norris asked. “Still happy with what we’ve got?”
The team reported no forecast change. Piastri suggested: “I think it is time for slicks, so should we just box?”
Stallard warned that pitting now would cost them their grid advantage; they would have to start from the pit lane after the field left the grid. He favoured keeping the plan in place and hoping for a Safety Car or an initial window of advantage while others struggled with cold tyres.
“Oscar, I think if you box we’ll be last,” Stallard said. “I think this tyre may be good for a couple of laps. There may be a Safety Car. I think there’s more to gain by trying the race start like this. Everyone’s going to really struggle with temperatures and you will have an advantage.”
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter andgo ad-free
Formation lap three
When marshals still couldn’t clear Lindblad’s car, a third formation lap was required. The race start was pushed back over six minutes from the original time, allowing the track to dry even more.
“So Oscar, our tyres have dropped quite a lot, everyone on soft must have very cold tyres by this time,” Stallard warned.
“Yeah but if we pit now we will have warm tyres,” Piastri replied. “So, I don’t know. I mean, these inters are a mistake now.”
Stallard maintained the team needed to stick with the plan: “Oscar, we think best to take the start, go to the grid and we are in the window for a Safety Car. Expect others to struggle with cold tyres.”
Norris voiced similar concerns: “If I’m on the wrong tyre, what do you want to do?” McLaren remained hopeful: “Right now we’re in a good position. We’ve got tyre temperatures. Other people are complaining more. So this is actually an opportunity for us.”
“Yeah, but I don’t think it’s going to last long,” Norris cautioned. “My rears are just drifting.” As he lined up for the third attempt he asked: “If it’s really shit, lap one, what are we doing?” The race was about to begin.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter andgo ad-free
The start
McLaren’s hope that intermediates would give better initial grip was partly vindicated. Norris launched past the Mercedes pair and into the lead, while Piastri fell back a place.
Piastri immediately pitted, but Norris completed the opening lap in front. By the following lap, as Norris braked for the pit lane, Andrea Kimi Antonelli was already pressuring him for the lead.
| Lap: 1/70 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Joseph | Lando, suggest green F3, green F3. Antonelli is matching us behind. | Stallard | Start going forward on brake balance. Oscar, do you have any tyre advantage or shall we box? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Norris | Yeah, they’re going to come back past soon. | Piastri | No, box. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Joseph | This lap? I’d say give it another lap. Overtake enabled, Antonelli does not have… Antonelli does have it. | Piastri | Copy, box, box. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lap: 2/70 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Norris | Alright, they’re going to… they’re much quicker now. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Joseph | Okay, understood. We’re ready. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Norris | Box. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Joseph | Yes, Lando. We will box this lap. Box this lap. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Early pit stops left both McLarens stuck in the midfield, where their races quickly fell apart. Norris ran wide, pitted again for overheating and later retired with a gearbox issue. Piastri collided with Alexander Albon, sustained damage, picked up a penalty and finished outside the points.
The tyre gamble did not pay off. Still, Norris’s initial launch showed the potential reward McLaren might have enjoyed had the race started at its scheduled time.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter andgo ad-free
2026 Canadian Grand Prix
- Stats: Antonelli has larger points lead than any driver had last year, and more
- Power deficit is keeping Ferrari out of the fight with Mercedes – Hamilton
- ‘Actually an opportunity’: How McLaren answered drivers’ calls to ditch tyre gamble
- “He needs to back up”: How Mercedes managed Russell and Antonelli’s Canadian GP fight
- ‘It doesn’t feel like what motorsport should be’: Podium trio still unhappy with F1’s power units
Browse all 2026 Canadian Grand Prix articles