Despite the progress shown by McLaren in Miami, Oscar Piastri refuses to get carried away before the Canadian Grand Prix, where Mercedes is set to introduce a major upgrade to its car.
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The Miami weekend marked an encouraging turning point for McLaren. After a difficult start to the season, the British team finally showed a pace capable of competing with the best teams on the grid thanks to a significant package of upgrades brought to the MCL40.
The results quickly followed. Lando Norris won the Sprint race while Oscar Piastri stood on the podium of the Grand Prix, confirming the progress made by the Woking team after several difficult weeks.
The Australian driver also acknowledges that the performances displayed in Florida exceeded some internal expectations. McLaren did not necessarily expect to be so competitive against Mercedes on a circuit that is usually favorable to the German team.
“It will be interesting to observe, Piastri explained to the media. We still need to see where we stand on different types of circuits. But in the Sprint, achieving a one-two solely thanks to the car’s pace was a real surprise for us.”
Mercedes prepares a major offensive in Canada
While McLaren has clearly improved, Piastri remains cautious before the next round in Montreal. Unlike Ferrari, Red Bull, or McLaren, Mercedes had only made minor adjustments in Miami.
For several weeks, the German team has actually been preparing a much more significant upgrade for the Canadian Grand Prix. This package could potentially change the balance of power in the championship.
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Despite the absence of major novelties in Florida, Mercedes again demonstrated its solidity. Kimi Antonelli secured a third consecutive victory and continues to cement his dominance in the drivers’ standings, where he now holds a 20-point lead over George Russell.
In the constructors’ championship, McLaren nevertheless managed a good operation by taking three points from Mercedes during the American weekend. The gap remains significant, however, with 86 points still separating the two teams.
Piastri refuses to get carried away
Even if the new McLaren parts seem to work as expected, Oscar Piastri prefers to stay measured before imagining a real fight for the title. The Australian driver knows that the arrival of Mercedes’ upgrades could quickly reshuffle the cards.
“We thought our upgrades would help us progress, and that has been the case, Piastri confided. “We now hope that this will still be the case in Canada.”
But the McLaren driver remains particularly attentive to the potential of the future Mercedes package: “Mercedes did not bring many novelties to Miami and they will have a major upgrade in Canada. We will have to wait to really see what it will bring them.”
The Montreal meeting could thus become a key moment of the start of the 2026 season, with a hierarchy likely to evolve once again between Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull.
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