Oscar Piastri delivered a strong qualifying performance of the season at the F1 Canadian GP, securing third place on the grid after a challenging weekend that saw McLaren’s dominance temporarily disrupted at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
The Australian driver’s journey to the front row began with significant struggles throughout practice sessions, leaving him and the team searching for answers heading into Saturday’s crucial qualifying hour.
From struggles to P3
Piastri’s transformation from Friday’s difficulties to Saturday’s success was remarkable. After enduring what he described as a “miserable” practice programme, the 24-year-old found his rhythm precisely when it mattered most.
“Much better than practice, that’s for sure,” Piastri reflected after securing his third-place starting position. “I mean, honestly, I’m quite happy here in P3. After all the practice sessions, I was struggling, obviously. I didn’t have a smooth session this morning, and, yeah, everything just felt more back to normal. In qualifying, everything came alive again.”
The McLaren driver’s struggles weren’t merely about pace—they extended to the fundamental feel of the car. However, qualifying at the F1 Canadian GP provided the breakthrough both Piastri and team desperately needed.
Piastri under pressure
One of the defining moments of Piastri’s qualifying came with the tyre choice for the Q3 session. Whilst pole-sitter George Russell opted for medium compounds to spectacular effect, Piastri and McLaren stuck to their guns with the soft tyre.
The decision wasn’t taken lightly, with the team keeping the medium option “on the table” throughout the session. However, Piastri’s difficult weekend influenced the strategic call.
“I mean, we always kept it on the table, but I don’t think we were ever that—or I certainly wasn’t ever that tempted,” Piastri explained. “Like I said, practice was pretty miserable. So, I just wanted to have a clean run through qualifying, not introduce any variables that could have made things even more difficult.”
The conservative approach paid dividends, allowing Piastri to extract maximum performance without the added complexity of a different compound. “I think it’s been a strength of ours so far this year—sticking to our guns and doing what we think is best for us,” he noted.
When pressed about whether the medium tyre might have delivered pole position, Piastri remained pragmatic. “Would we have been on pole position on a Medium? Maybe. But there’s also the risk that it goes wrong, and you end up worse than we are now. So, I’m pretty happy.”
Technical choices and consistency
Beyond tyre strategy, Piastri faced another significant decision regarding McLaren’s suspension upgrade package. Despite having the option to run the new components, he chose to maintain consistency with his existing setup.
“I’m not that concerned really,” Piastri said when questioned about the upgrade decision. “I could have run it if I wanted to, and I didn’t really. It changes some things—some things are better, some things are worse. It’s not as simple. It’s not an upgrade, it’s a different part.”
The choice to prioritise consistency over potential performance gains demonstrated Piastri’s mature approach to a weekend where confidence was already fragile. “I’ve been happy with how the car’s been so far this year and, again, just wanted to keep consistency.”
The Canadian Grand Prix weekend marked a departure from McLaren’s recent form, with the Woking-based team facing their strongest challenge of the season. Piastri acknowledged this shift whilst maintaining perspective on the championship battle.
“I think we have struggled so far this weekend,” he admitted. “In qualifying, we found our feet a bit more, and it became a little bit more normal. But apart from maybe one or two races in qualifying, it’s been very close a lot of the time.”
The Australian recognised multiple factors contributing to the closer competition, from track characteristics favouring Mercedes to varying conditions throughout the weekend. “That’s a bit of the price you pay for not being on top of things from the start. You miss that extra half a tenth maybe, and that can be the difference.”
Piastri’s optimism for the F1 Canadian GP
Despite the weekend’s challenges, Piastri remained confident about McLaren’s race prospects. The team’s traditional strength in race conditions provided reason for optimism, even with George Russell and Max Verstappen starting ahead.
“I think so,” Piastri responded when asked if he could challenge for victory. “Again, Friday didn’t look great in any run, but I certainly feel more comfortable now than I did this morning and then yesterday. Our pace on race days is generally where we’re strong.”
“These two next to me were very quick in the race runs yesterday, so it’s certainly not going to be a slam dunk win, but I think we’re definitely in the fight.”
