McLaren hog second row for Montreal Sprint still chasing Mercedes as upgrades war intensifies
F1 Grand PrixSaturday, 23 May 2026 at 08:04
McLaren admitted it reverted to its previous specification front wing for Sprint Qualifying at the Canadian Grand Prix after struggling to extract performance from its latest upgrade package during a disrupted Friday in Montreal.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri recovered from a difficult sole practice session to qualify 3rd and 4th respectively for Saturday’s Sprint at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, despite both drivers battling low grip and tyre temperature issues throughout FP1.
The reigning Constructors’ Champions arrived in Canada with a second phase of upgrades following the package introduced in Miami, including a revised front wing and further aerodynamic developments designed to increase downforce.
However, after trialling the new specification during practice, both drivers elected to return to the older front wing ahead of Sprint Qualifying as McLaren searched for a more predictable balance. Which sees their odds of winning this weekend shoot up on platforms such as Afropari Nigeria.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said the team had seen positive early signs from the new package despite the front wing concerns: “We have had some encouraging indications in practice when we saw the upgrades we brought here delivered as expected.
"When we saw the list of upgrades, we saw everyone had a new car, or at least 50 per cent of the pit lane. We have demonstrated in the past that we have done a really good job of manufacturing, designing and delivering these upgrades. It's good to see McLaren in the leading position.”
Norris: P3 is a very good result and a bit of a turnaround
P3 at the end of Sprint Qualifying, Norris said: “Given how the morning went, a P3 is a very good result and a bit of a turnaround. We were worried about being off the pace, and I didn’t have much confidence in the car, but we made some changes that delivered a clear step forward.
“We returned to the previous spec front wing going into Sprint Quali, which gave me some more confidence. The lap was decent, I could have found a bit more, but the gap to the front wasn’t that big, which is encouraging," added the World Champion
The session proved difficult for teams across the grid, with 3 Red Flags interrupting running and preventing many from completing consistent programmes.
Despite the disruptions, McLaren completed 32 laps with both cars and gathered valuable data on the new components.
Piastri explained: “P4. I am relatively happy with that. We maximised what we could, especially after a messier FP1 with the delays and the Red Flags, which meant we didn’t get as much learning time as we had hoped.
“The Mercedes look strong with their new package, so we still have work to do to find more performance and close that gap," added the Australian, who confirmed McLaren abandoned the updated front wing for Sprint Qualifying after both drivers felt more comfortable with the previous design.
“Thanks to the team for their work to get the new parts ready for Canada,” Piastri added. “It was a big package to deliver, and we have some more work to do on the front wing – we ended up running with the older one in Sprint Qualifying as we felt more comfortable with it," revealed Piastri,
Stella: We should have good racing here in Miami
Stella also highlighted how close the leading teams appeared to be after Sprint Qualifying: “Mercedes on the soft tyres, when they put everything together, were very close. It's interesting for the sport. We have seen Red Bull were competitive, Ferrari and McLaren.
"We should have good racing here in Miami and in the following races. What's important is McLaren is there and we can have a very interesting competition,” Stella added
Technical Director Neil Houldey admitted the new wing had not behaved as expected during practice but said the wider upgrade package still appeared to move the team closer to Mercedes at the front: “We found during the session that the front wing wasn’t quite delivering what we expected.
'We ultimately took the call to run the previous specification front wing, which gave the drivers more confidence and allowed them to unlock more performance."
“We've made great progress over the last few races, the upgrade in Miami had a big effect on closing the gap to the front, and the new parts we've brought here seem to have helped close it a little bit more again. The goal is to close that gap completely," Houldey declared.
The reality is that McLaren appeared to have an edge in Miami, but now Mercedes with new upgrades for Montreal have edged ahead, with Georger Russell and Kimi Antonelli annexing the front row, and an all papaya row two to chase.
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