“That wasn’t the day we were hoping for," claims Piastri after McLaren's tyre gamble in Montreal

McLaren endured a difficult Canadian Grand Prix after a bold but ultimately costly decision to start both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri on Intermediate tyres while most of the field committed to slicks.

Light drizzle on the grid prompted the gamble, but with the track already relatively dry and no further rain arriving, the strategy quickly unravelled.

Norris briefly made the most of the Intermediates, launching into the lead at Turn 1, while Piastri also gained ground. But both drivers were forced to pit almost immediately — Piastri at the end of lap one, Norris shortly after — dropping them out of the top ten. From there, the afternoon only became more complicated.

Piastri locked up while battling Ollie Bearman and slid into the side of Alex Albon’s Williams. He required a new front wing and received a 10‑second penalty, ending any realistic chance of scoring points. Norris later needed a second stop after running wide and eventually retired with a suspected gearbox issue.

After finishing 11th, Piastri reflected on the strategic call and the incident that followed. He said: “That wasn’t the day we were hoping for. We made the decision to start on Inters as the ground was quite wet between the anthem and getting in the car, but ultimately it was the wrong call.”

He also addressed the collision with Albon: “I then got some damage in the collision with Albon. Apologies to him and to the Williams team. After that, we did what we could to try and catch up but it was just very difficult out there.”

Despite the disappointment, Piastri highlighted the progress McLaren has made: “There are still positives to take from this weekend. I feel like I made progress in some areas and we have made a step forward in closing the gap to Mercedes. We now reset, review and shift our focus to Monaco.”