Piastri realistic over McLaren deficit in Canada

Oscar Piastri finished fourth in Canadian sprint qualifying, just two hundredths behind teammate Lando Norris, as George Russell led a Mercedes front-row lockout ahead of championship leader Kimi Antonelli. Piastri admitted Mercedes still looked very strong despite McLaren's latest updates, but remained confident the team could capitalise on its race-day strengths.

Why it matters:

McLaren has reduced the gap to Mercedes with upgrades introduced in Miami, but the Brackley squad responded with its own updates in Canada. The sprint format limited McLaren's ability to fully evaluate a new front wing, leaving the team reliant on its familiar setup. How McLaren adapts over the weekend will signal whether it can challenge for wins in the coming races.

The details:

• Russell secured sprint pole with a 1m12.965s, 0.068s ahead of Antonelli. Norris and Piastri completed the top four, ahead of the Ferraris of Hamilton and Leclerc.
• Piastri told Sky Sports: “It was feeling pretty good… but the Mercedes still looks very strong. That’s probably the biggest takeaway today unfortunately.”
• Setup choice: Team principal Andrea Stella said McLaren opted not to run the revised front wing in qualifying to ensure predictability. “We want to race a car we know,” he explained.
• Piastri noted McLaren’s strong starts have been a consistent advantage over Ferrari this year, and he aims to use that in Saturday’s sprint.

What's next:

The Canadian sprint takes place Saturday at 12pm local time. McLaren will hope to optimise its package and challenge Mercedes over the shorter distance, while keeping the Ferraris behind. The main grand prix on Sunday will be a more critical test of the team’s true pace relative to the championship leaders.