Oscar Piastri Airs Concern Over Mercedes' Upcoming Upgrade

Oscar Piastri is keeping a cautious eye on Mercedes' upcoming upgrade package, warning that any gains McLaren made in Miami could be erased when F1 resumes in Canada.

While McLaren, Red Bull, and Ferrari brought updates to the Miami Grand Prix, Mercedes only ran token new components on its W17. The championship leader has earmarked the Canadian Grand Prix as the race where its first major upgrade of the season will debut.

Why it matters:

McLaren closed the constructors' gap to Mercedes by just three points over the Miami sprint weekend, leaving them 86 points adrift. If Mercedes' upgrade proves as effective as expected, it could stall McLaren's momentum and further solidify the Silver Arrows' lead.

The details:

• McLaren's improvement: The updated MCL40 was strong in Miami, with Piastri calling the one-two finish on pure pace a “pretty big surprise.”
• Mercedes' buffer: Kimi Antonelli won his third consecutive grand prix, extending his drivers' championship lead over teammate George Russell to 20 points.
• Piastri's caution: “Obviously, Mercedes didn’t bring a lot, and they also have an upgrade package for Canada, so we’ll have to wait and see how much that’s worth for them.”
• Uncertainty ahead: Piastri emphasized the need to test at different tracks, suggesting the full picture of the pecking order is still unclear.

What's next:

The Canadian Grand Prix will be the first true test of Mercedes' next evolution. If the upgrade works as planned, McLaren's recent progress may not be enough to threaten the leaders. But if it stumbles, the championship fight could open up.