– According to McLaren team principal Andrea Stella, the team had no chance against Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen at the Canadian Grand Prix. Both finished in second and third place respectively in the final results.
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“Even in a normal race without problems, I don’t think that, looking at the pace of the other podium contenders, we ourselves would have had the necessary pace,” Stella explained after the race. This assumption is based, according to the team principal, on “the laps we drove when we could exploit the full potential.”
Both McLaren drivers started the Grand Prix on intermediates. Oscar Piastri already requested to switch to dry tires during the formation lap, but both Papaya cars still went into the Grand Prix with their tires built for light rain.
Pirelli had already warned beforehand that the cold temperatures would not exactly help the intermediates. After a few laps, both switched to slicks, with Piastri shortly after colliding with Alexander Albon and ending his race. A ten-second time penalty was the consequence.
Meanwhile, Norris tried to fight his way forward in the midfield. But even in dry conditions, the pace of the MCL40 was not impressive. On lap 38, the reigning world champion had to retire from the race due to gearbox problems. All in all, Canada was a weekend to forget despite Norris’s second position in qualifying.
“Here we had problems in all areas, whether sporting, in terms of reliability, or due to an accident,” Stella explained after the race. “There is a lot to analyze.”
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Accordingly, it was difficult for McLaren to properly assess the effect of their own upgrades. On Friday, the team had replaced their new front wing with an older model. By Sunday, they felt they were moving within a few tenths of Mercedes. However, the temperature of the front tires caused the team great concern during the race.
“I can only point to the cold temperatures,” Stella emphasized. “Our drivers constantly locked up the tires or locked the brakes. They couldn’t get the front tires to work.”
Although Stella mentions that the MCL40 is particularly susceptible to such cool temperatures, there were complaints across the field about lack of grip or locked front wheels.
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According to the team principal, a points finish after the intermediate attempt would have been the maximum. Instead, McLaren recorded a zero score at the Canadian Grand Prix. In the constructors’ championship, they are in third place, 41 points behind Ferrari. Mercedes, with 219 points, is already more than 113 points ahead of the Woking-based team.
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