McLaren will carry momentum into weekend – Norris
Lando Norris believes McLaren will carry their momentum to “a track that suits us” in Montreal, having been encouraged by the team’s turnaround in performance last time out in Miami. After a frustrating opening three rounds at the last race in Miami, their upgrades saw them take their first win of the season.
Norris converted pole position into victory in the Sprint with teammate Piastri following close behind in second. The wait for their first podiums of 2026 was over, and although they dropped behind Kimi Antonelli in the Grand Prix itself, they successfully brought home another double top-three finish.
Asked in Miami if the result helped him feel confident about McLaren’s potential in Montreal, Norris replied: “Certainly. I think you’d have to feel silly if you don’t feel confident about the future when we improved so much this weekend. We also know it’s a track that suits us.”
“I’m always that guy that looks at things on the slightly more glass-half-empty side, but this is a track that suits us and in the past has not suited the Mercedes quite so well. Yet they were still very fast, and we’re going to go to a track that Mercedes have probably been the best at over the last five, six years. So, we have to wait and see.”
However, last year’s race was the only race where McLaren failed to score a podium, when fighting for the podium, Norris collided with Piastri. It was George Russell who took the lead, and their impressive start to 2026 has made Norris more adamant that McLaren should manage expectations by taking each race as it comes.
Norris added, “I know we’re bringing upgrades, it’s too easy to judge things over one race. You need to see how you are over a number of races and different styles of track: street circuits, hot tracks, cold tracks, tight and twisty, fast circuits.
“So, there’s no point getting ahead of ourselves. We’ve had a very good weekend. I’m very proud of the team, but I also want to make sure they keep pushing and keep trying to improve things, because we still need that.”
Russell’s fightback?
Usually, the championship leader carries all the pressure, especially when that leader is nineteen-year-old Kimi Antonelli, the sport’s youngest ever. But heading into the fifth race of the season, that weight of expectation has shifted firmly onto teammate George Russell.
Last year, Russell took advantage of a collision between the leading McLarens to take his first win of the season; this year, he arrives in Montreal at a circuit where he has performed well. Meanwhile, Mercedes has given him the car which has dominated the first four races of the season, knowing opportunities like Canada matter. With experience, confidence, and a competitive car underneath him, a strong result in Montreal could be crucial in keeping pace with Antonelli early in the championship fight.
Montreal is a circuit which, like his former teammate, seven-time winner Lewis Hamilton, suits his driving style, and that’s one thing he has credited to his success. Saying “I learned a lot from Lewis here, my first year I came here, he’s always been so strong and he was like the Montreal goat in the past and that sort of helped me take another level here.”
Russell has said previously that the track is “smooth” and that the “low-speed” nature suits Mercedes’ characteristics. The cooler conditions have also worked well for the Silver Arrows compared to their competitors over the last two seasons. He added, “I love this circuit to be honest. You know, the bumps and the kerbs, the walls, there’s so much character here. The fans are always awesome and give us a lot of energy.”
In 2024, he wasn’t able to convert a front row start after beating Max Verstappen to pole, having set identical times, but was unable to match the pace advantage of the then-dominant Red Bull.
It was also a huge moment missed for Mercedes because it hadn’t won a race since the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in 2022.
Russell managed to redeem himself a year later and beat Verstappen by 0.160 seconds in a thrilling fight for pole position. He described it “as probably one of the most exhilarating laps of my life.” He then went on to win the race in comfortable fashion, despite being hunted by the Dutchman.
Meanwhile, teammate Antonelli has proved himself as a match to Russell and r has proven to be a serious title contender and has recently made history after he converted three consecutive pole positions in a row into race victories. He has won in China, Japan and more recently in Miami, before a three-week break, which has naturally halted momentum.
Momentum could prove decisive over the next ten weeks, with seven races before the summer break, and every round apart from this weekend forming part of a double-header. Antonelli, by contrast, has only one previous appearance in Canada, while Russell has four additional visits to the circuit to draw upon. Yet the Italian’s lack of mileage in Montreal was barely evident last year, when he produced one of the strongest performances of his season.
He stepped on the F1 podium for the first time in his career after he finished the grand prix in third, and became the third-youngest driver to do so. are double headers.
Hamilton changes preparations
Lewis Hamilton has changed his preparations ahead of this weekend’s race in Montreal, having struggled this season. Aside from a successful weekend at Shanghai, Hamilton has underperformed relative to teammate Charles Leclerc so far in 2026, including last time out in Miami.
At the last race in Miami, in sprint qualifying, he was three and three-quarters of a tenth behind Leclerc, before in GP qualifying narrowing that to a tenth and three-quarters. But he was 24 seconds behind the Ferrari of Leclerc in the grand prix before the Monegasque spun, hit the wall, and incurred a penalty for corner-cutting – all of which occurred on the final lap.
Hamilton described the SF-26’s behaviour in Miami, especially early in the weekend, as “not very snappy into corners” and suffering from “massive understeer in mid-corner”, hence a shift being required.
Hamilton said following Miami, “I’m going to have a different approach in the next race, because the way we’re preparing at the moment is not helping. We go on [the simulator], and then it gets to the track, and the car feels different when it gets to the track.”
Asked to expand on how he wasn’t ‘preparing properly’, the seven-time world champion explained: “What I mean by it is that I spend time on the simulator. I don’t like simulators in general. I was in the simulator every week on the build-up to this race, working on correlation constantly. You go on it, you prepare for the track, you drive it and you get the car set up to a certain place, and then you come to the track and that set-up doesn’t work.”
“On the sprint weekend, for example, you’ve only got Practice 1. You don’t really want to veer off from your set-up too far, like with a big suspension change. So you stay with it and then you make a change going into qualifying and you’ve only got six laps to get on top of it.”
He believes that he should have started the weekend where Leclerc was and if he did he would have had a stronger weekend.
Last Time Out … Miami
Charles Leclerc was fastest in an extended practice session. The Ferrari driver set a 29.310 to put himself nearly three tenths faster than Max Verstappen, with the McLaren of Oscar Piastri third, a further tenth and a quarter behind. Leclerc set his fastest time right at the end of the session after getting a tow from Lando Norris, moving him up from third
Norris took pole for the sprint after going two tenths faster than the championship leader, Kimi Antonelli. SQ3 boiled down to a single lap shoot-out with Norris going ahead of Oscar Piastri, before Antonelli went nearly two hundredths faster than the Australian. Leclerc put his Ferrari fourth; he was a tenth and a quarter behind Piastri, as he had a similar advantage over Max Verstappen.
Norris went on to win the sprint finishing four seconds ahead of Piastri, as he delivered a champion’s drive to control the race. The Englishman soon pulled away after the start and never looked to come under pressure from Piastri. Leclerc brought his Ferrari home third; he finished two and a half seconds behind the Melbournian after their squabble at the start after they passed Antonelli.
GP Qualifying, saw Antonelli beat Verstappen to pole by a tenth and a half. Although an error at the start of his final lap meant he missed the chance to improve his time, Antonelli still ended up just under two tenths clear. Leclerc put his Ferrari third, but the Monacan was nearly two tenths behind the top two as he held off Norris and Russell, who both lapped with in half a tenth of the Ferrari. Norris is going a hundredth and a half ahead of Russell
Antonelli went on to take a three-second victory as he held off Norris, becoming the first driver to win his first three Grands Prix wins in a row from pole position as he delivered another strong performance to fend off Norris. Oscar Piastri finish third but was nearly twenty-five seconds behind his teammate.
Leclerc’s spin allowed Russell, followed by Verstappen, to overtake in the closing laps, Russell finishing nearly nine tenths ahead of the Red Bull. However, the four-time champions’ fate had already been sealed. An uncharacteristic spin at the start saw him drop back from second on the grid and opt to pit under an early Safety Car, leaving him fighting to hang onto his aged hard tyres in the closing stages.
Talking Points Montreal
Round five brings F1 1,662 miles north of Miami to Montreal, concluding the first North America leg. This weekend marks the third sprint weekend of the season and the first at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, while it may not be a true outright speed circuit on Notre-Dame island has delivered drama and unpredictability.
The mix of unpredictable weather, long straights and the punishing proximity of its many walls, the race on the picturesque Ile Notre-Dame has delivered more than its fair share of classics. For the first time in its history, Montreal will also host a sprint weekend, and rain appears to be on the horizon, too.
As we said in Miami, Kimi Antonelli has ripped up the expected narrative of the season and is twenty points clear of teammate George Russell. Antonelli is the only driver with a podium at every grand prix this season, having really stepped up in his second season with some believing he is the real deal.
But many expect a swing back towards Russell, for two reasons: he had tough races and bad luck in Shanghai and Suzuka. Nothing has really changed since pre-season, and surely last year taught us that title fights constantly ebb and flow. Add to this that Mercedes is bringing a ‘significant upgrade’, the way the gap looked to close in Miami may not be true.
Alpine have vindicated their difficult decisions about their switch to being a customer team, and in Miami, they finished best of the rest behind the top four teams and twenty seconds clear of their nearest rivals. Pierre Gasly’s true potential, meanwhile, remained unclear after his race ended upside down on the opening laps after being tagged by Liam Lawson.
They brough there upgrades to Miami with minor tweaks expected this weekend, but its main rivals, Haas, will bring their upgrades this weekend. That poses an intriguing question heading into round five. Haas, to me, appears still to hold a slight advantage at this stage and also lost out in Suzuka, but during a season where teams are unlocking performance at a rapid rate under this year’s major regulation overhaul, there is no guarantee Alpine can sustain this performance level.
Aston Martin was the only team that didn’t submit updates in the document that the FIA releases before each grand prix. The team and its engine supplier, Honda, focused on eliminating vibrations caused by the power unit and improving driveability. And while they seem to have put the vibrations behind them, another problem with the gearbox became more evident, and ultimately, the result was similar, with Aston seemingly only able to spar with newcomer Cadillac.
They have continued to work on the power unit, and this weekend perhaps there first opportunity where they might be able to at least focus on squeezing more performance out of its flawed package, which would already be a step forward. Can the stop-start, traction-heavy Gilles Villeneuve circuit work in the team’s favour?
Stroll insists ‘the future is bright’ for Aston Martin
Lance Stroll has insisted ‘the future is bright’ despite the team’s disastrous season. Aston Martin went into 2026 seen as the team to watch, they are, but for all the wrong reasons, they were hoping under the guidance of the now team principal, Adrian Newey, and a works engine deal with Honda would move them into the top teams.
However, the team have had one of the worst starts to an F1 season in recent memory with both drivers unable to complete a full race without a retirement until the Miami Grand Prix. Despite this, ahead of his home race in Montreal, Stroll insists the team can turn things around and reaffirmed his commitment to make the project a success ahead of his home race in Canada this weekend.
In an interview posted on the team’s website, Stroll said: “We’ve got some incredibly talented people at the AMR Technology Campus and there’s huge potential with the tools like the new CoreWeave AIR Tunnel and the simulator. We have all the elements to become a winning team, it’s just about unlocking that potential.”
“I firmly believe in this project, even though right now we’re experiencing some difficult times. The future is very bright, and I want to ride this tough spell out and be part of the journey we’re on. Difficult moments always test you, but they also show you who really believes in what you’re building.”
“It’s easy to believe when results are coming and everything feels good. The real challenge is staying committed when things are harder and you have to work through problems together. That’s part of building a top Formula One team. I genuinely believe the foundations we’re putting in place now can lead to something very special in the future.”
Cadillac revels upgrades
Cadillac has revealed its latest upgrades ahead of this weekend’s race in Montreal. The team has brought several parts, building on the last upgrades in Miami, where it brought a new front wing, floor, diffuser and rear suspension.
In performances in Miami, qualifying sessions were mixed; it went backwards in Grand Prix Qualifying, where it was almost a second and a half off the cut for Q2. Before finishing the race outside the points, despite Sergio Perez at one stage challenging for points.
Following the race, the Mexican said, “We are in a massive hurry to find performance because we know Aston is going to be improving and we don’t want to be left behind.” Perez then said, and Cadillac’s newest package shows the American outfit is wasting no time.
For this weekend’s race, it has “new front brake drums, diffuser trim and winglets, and front torsion bars, which will improve the car’s ability to ride steep curbs, such as those at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.” The team says that the upgrade in Miami resulted in “a notable increase in performance.”
Perez added, “Miami was a very enjoyable weekend.” He went on to explain he was encouraged by the ability to bring major upgrades that worked, but the challenge was now about extracting the potential of the car and putting it all together, and if they manage to do that they can close the gap.
Williams signs key technical staff from rivals
Williams has signed Piers Thynne from McLaren to take on a new leadership role, among a series of key signings from rivals until the start of this year, Thynne had been McLaren’s COO and will join Williams as the team’s new chief optimisation and planning officer and will join the team in August.
Williams has also announced the appointment of Claire Simpson and Fred Judd from Mercedes, as well as Steve Booth, who joins from Alpine. Simpson and Judd will take on the roles of head of aerodynamic development and head of performance optimisation, respectively, while ex-Alpine chief engineer Booth becomes head of vehicle engineering.
Thynne said, “I am delighted to be joining Atlassian Williams F1 Team at what is a really exciting moment. Williams has clear ambition to be championship level in all areas and set new standards in the sport, and I can’t wait to play my part in that as a member of the senior leadership group.”
Thynne played a key role in McLaren’s back-to-back title-winning campaigns in 2024 and 2025 as the team secured a first constructors’ title in twenty-six years before completing a world championship double last year. His father was also the right-hand man to the founder, Sir Frank Williams and was named after Piers Courage, who died in a crash at the Dutch Grand Prix in June 1970.
He will be tasked with “streamlining processes, optimising resources and deploying cutting-edge technology, including robotics, AI and advanced manufacturing to modernise Williams’ facilities.”
Team principal James Vowles said. “I am thrilled to be welcoming Piers to Atlassian Williams F1 Team as we continue investing in the people, processes and technology to compete at the front in Formula One.”
“We are clear in our ambition to build a team that can win World Championships, and Piers has unrivalled recent experience in doing exactly that. I am also delighted to welcome Claire, Fred and Steve – we are attracting extremely talented strategic recruits from throughout the paddock who will add to the foundations we have already put in place over the past few years and help take us to the next level.”
