Oscar Piastri Admits McLaren’s Canadian GP Tyre Call ‘Was a Group Decision’

McLaren’s decision to start both drivers on intermediate tyres for the Canadian Grand Prix raised eyebrows and ultimately proved costly for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

However, when speaking to the media after the 68-lap race, Piastri stressed that “it was a group call” when he, Norris, and Team Principal Andrea Stella were questioned about the controversial tyre choice.

“I was one of the people that said yes to the inters,” continued Piastri, whose race unravelled after needing to pit early for slick tyres and losing track position. He ultimately received a 10-second time penalty following a clumsy collision with Alex Albon at the Hairpin and finished 11th.

“Between the anthem and getting in the car, it had gotten significantly wetter on the ground, and given how difficult getting to the grid was, I thought that the inters, if you could get temperature into them, would be faster.

“That was our whole thinking and then the rain stopped. So yeah, it was a bit of a shame. We thought we were doing the safer thing, and the right thing, and it wasn’t.”

Norris, meanwhile, initially led the Canadian Grand Prix after a strong start ahead of front-row starters George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. The reigning world champion also needed to pit early for slick tyres, but later retired with a suspected gearbox failure.

“I just had a lot more grip, as simple as that,” Norris elaborated following his retirement.

“Honestly, it shows how slippery it was for them in the beginning, and I had a two second gap after one lap.

“So it wasn’t like it was stupid to be on that tyre. It was just drying out and, of course, when they got a bit of temperature into the tyres, it worked out for them. One per cent more rain, or a few little bits of drizzle here or there, and it really would have suited us a lot more.

“It was the wrong decision in hindsight. Obviously it was good for a lap and kept me out of trouble, and so easily things could have happened behind, and I would have looked much better.

“But it was a wrong decision in the end. I don’t think through any bad decision making. I think there were valid reasons for doing what we did. I’m happy we kind of went for something, and stuck to it. It doesn’t work out sometimes, that’s the way it is – so we take it on the chin, and we learn from it.”

Team principal Stella also explained the reasoning behind the decision to start on intermediates:

“In terms of making the decision, actually, it was relatively shared by the people and the drivers.”

“I even gave my input myself, because for when a call needed to be made, I just wanted to make sure that we were on tyres that could withstand the first lap.

“Well, you have to consider that the tyres are fitted five minutes before the start. And that’s kind of seven minutes when we needed to operationally make a decision.

“In our view, the track was greasy. Already there was trouble to keep temperature in the tyres on a dry track, but at the time it was greasy, and it was raining. So we thought that at the time you have to make a decision as to what tyres, that was the right tyre for the moment. After that, the rain very rapidly stopped.”

McLaren was not the only team to gamble on intermediates at the start. Both Audi cars and the Cadillac entries also opted for the green-marked compound, as did Lance Stroll, who immediately pitted for slick tyres after the second formation lap.

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Written by

Jawad Yaqub

An eCommerce Specialist by day and reporting on F1 by night. Jawad is passionate about motorsport, having provided accredited F1 coverage for more than a decade and is a member of the AIPS (International Sports Press Association). Live blogging (almost) every grand prix too since 2014, as well as articles on the Supercars Championship. Also keen on sustainability, photography, collecting vinyl, (trying to) expertly barbeque and learning to Dad.

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