Oscar Piastri has spoken out following a dramatic and ultimately disappointing Canadian GP for McLaren, which ended with a fiery collision between himself and teammate Lando Norris just three laps from the finish.
The crash, which triggered a Safety Car and sealed George Russell’s victory, not only cost McLaren a potential double-points haul, but also cast a shadow over what had been a competitive if chaotic weekend for the Woking squad.
Speaking after the race, a visibly subdued Piastri admitted he had not yet reviewed the incident in detail. “I mean I obviously haven’t seen it so I don’t really know,” he said. “I was defending the inside and then felt a small touch and that’s honestly all I have at the moment.”
‘Not the easiest of weekends’ for McLaren
The clash came as the two McLaren drivers were battling for fourth place, with Norris holding a slight tyre advantage. In the closing laps, both were closing in on Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, but their inter-team duel turned destructive when they made contact on the start-finish straight. Norris’ car caught some small flames shortly after coming to a stop, though he emerged unharmed.
“Obviously a shame for the team,” Piastri continued. “It was a bit of a difficult race apart from that. Just not the easiest of weekends.”
The Australian had run consistently inside the top six for most of the race but found himself unable to convert early promise into a podium challenge. “I think our pace was okay in the second half and I think we were quicker than the cars around us, just not by enough. That just meant it was very tough to make much progress really,” he explained.
While McLaren had looked strategically sound in the first half of the race—both drivers managing strong stints on the hard compound—the latter stages revealed the car’s limits in traffic and tyre degradation. “We struggled a bit on the medium but we seemed better when the graining happened for everybody,” said Piastri. “We just needed the race to be about 30 laps longer I think. Some things to learn.”
How does McLaren regroup ahead of Austria?
The crash marked a frustrating end to a Canadian GP weekend that had begun with promise: Piastri had qualified third behind Russell and Verstappen, and McLaren appeared poised to contend for a podium. Instead, the team leaves Montreal licking its wounds and facing internal questions about team orders and on-track discipline.
With nine races down in the 2025 season, tensions appear to be rising as McLaren looks to consolidate its position near the top of the Constructors’ standings. While Piastri’s comments remained measured, the underlying message was clear: there’s reflection to be done.
F1 now heads to Austria, where McLaren will aim to regroup. And, perhaps, redefine the boundaries of racing between teammates.
