2026 Canadian Grand Prix – McLaren Sprint & GP Qualifying Report

Find out what happened during the Sprint and GP Qualifying in Canda, and get the thoughts of McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, as well as Team Principal, Andrea Stella

It was an encouraging day for the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team. Lando will line-up P3 and Oscar P4 for tomorrow’s Canadian Grand Prix, after a consistent day at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.

The Sprint at lunchtime saw great battles for both drivers, with Lando moving up from P3 on the grid to finish P2, having fought the whole race with the two Mercedes cars. A couple of seconds behind, Oscar was having a similar experience, sandwiched between the two Ferraris, eventually coming out on top of that battle to finish in his starting position of P4.

While the result was the same this afternoon, the session itself had fewer certainties than usual. With tyre preparation proving very difficult, there was doubt over whether the best times would come on a first or second attempt. Both drivers were able to improve across longer runs in Q1, running on used tyres to keep their new Soft sets for the later sessions, eventually coming through P2 and P3. Q2, with new tyres, was a similar story, with both drivers getting out of the session comfortably. They both elected to keep running to the flag, however, gaining a better feel for a track that was evolving rapidly.

The 12 minutes of Q3 didn’t offer the luxury of warm-up laps and multiple push laps, and both drivers, in common with the bulk of the field, elected to do two runs with warm-up laps followed by single push laps. Lando led after the first runs, the first driver to dip into the 1m12s bracket, but with the two Mercedes completing their laps late in the session, ultimately ended in P3.

Attention now turns to tomorrow. The forecast suggests rain, and with that in mind, the team elected to swap back to an earlier specification of rear wing after the Sprint, likely to provide more stability in low-grip conditions. It is, however, something of an unknown, with this generation of cars yet to race in the wet.

In the F1 Academy Opening Race, both Ella Lloyd and Ella Stevens drove good recovery races after a difficult Qualifying session yesterday. Lloyd made up 10 places, finishing P6 having started in P16, and Stevens made up four spots to cross the line in P8, having started in P12. In the Reverse Grid Race, Lloyd crossed the line P7, with Stevens finishing in P15.

Elsewhere in the McLaren Driver Development Programme, Dries Van Langendonck finished P3 in Race 1 of the British F4 round at Snetterton, having qualified in P6. In Italian F4 at Vallelunga, Christian Costoya retired from the race after some unfortunate contact with another competitor.

"We can feel pretty good about today's results. Firstly, to finish P2 in the Sprint is a great achievement and a credit to the whole team for executing a good strategy and maximising our opportunities. We put ourselves in the right place to capitalise when the guys ahead were battling, and we came away with some very valuable points. We did a very good job with the package we have, but we have to be realistic about where we are. Without the two Mercedes fighting ahead of us, this result wouldn’t have been possible, so we’ll keep working and try to put ourselves in a position to battle with them on pure pace.

“In Qualifying, we we’re talking tiny margins today, half a tenth here or there was the difference between positions. We needed to be perfect today to beat the Mercedes, and it was very tricky to do that. I lost a bit of time on my final run when a car went off ahead, I picked up dirt on the tyres and then subsequently missed the slipstream down the back straight. But anyway, we’re close to the cars in front, closer than we expected without our full upgrade package, so as a team we can be very satisfied with today.

“Tomorrow will be interesting, on a cold, low‑speed street track it’s incredibly hard to build tyre temperature, and if it’s wet it will be chaotic, but that also means opportunities. On pure pace Mercedes still have the edge, especially over a race stint, but if conditions mix things up, we’ll be ready to fight and take any chances that come our way. We’ve made smart setup tweaks, the car’s consistent, and if we execute well there’s a lot to play for.”

“Overall, a decent day. In the Sprint, it was a positive result for the team. With the change in wind from yesterday, the car didn’t quite feel like it did in Sprint Quali. However, we were able to get Lewis at the end and gain back the spot we lost at the start.

“I'm happy with Qualifying. The car was a step forward from the Sprint this morning, so that was positive. The session was a little trickier, we were struggling in Sector 1 and it was more difficult to get the tyres into the right window with the track and air temperature being quite low, and the harder nature of them.

"We are closer to Mercedes and were able to put some pressure on them, but unfortunately it was just not quite enough. The rain tomorrow can mix things up, so it will be an opportunity for us all - let's see what we can do."

Andrea Stella

Team Principal

“Overall, it has been a positive day for the team. We are very encouraged by the trend we’ve seen this weekend, where we are closing the gap to Mercedes and unlocking more performance from the MCL40. Securing a strong result in the Sprint and closing the gap to under two-tenths in Qualifying confirms we are moving in the right direction.

“In the Sprint, a new set of Mediums enabled us to fight for longer with Mercedes, culminating into the P2 and P4 finish, after Oscar battled well with Hamilton’s Ferrari. In Qualifying, both Lando and Oscar performed well, but we must investigate why we lose time in the straights compared to our closest competitor.

“Overall, the car is performing better in the corners, which has given both Lando and Oscar the confidence to really push. I must commend the entire team for their relentless efforts with the upgrades and the trackside group for optimising the package we have.

“Looking ahead to the race on Sunday, we are realistic. In dry conditions, Mercedes likely has the edge, but we have put ourselves in a strong position. Canada is always an eventful race, and with the potential for mixed weather, anything is possible. We haven’t had much wet running this season, which adds an unknown element, but if it rains opportunities will arise, and we will be there to give it our absolute best and challenge for the win.”