McLaren Criticised After Failed Tyre Gamble in Canada

McLaren faced heavy criticism throughout the Formula 1 paddock after its controversial decision to start the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix on intermediate tyres turned into a strategic disaster. Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok revealed that several rival engineers and drivers were left stunned by the team’s decision-making.

The Woking-based outfit chose to start both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri on green-walled Pirelli intermediate tyres at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve despite conditions being only slightly damp and far from wet enough to justify the compound.

The strategy immediately appeared flawed even before the race properly began. During the additional formation lap, Piastri informed the team over the radio that the tyre choice was a mistake. McLaren was then forced to pit both drivers within the opening laps to switch to slick tyres, instantly sacrificing all of the track position gained during qualifying.

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“Honestly, from the commentary box walking to the Sky Pad, I bumped into three drivers and four engineers from different teams whose first words were: ‘What on earth were McLaren doing?’,” Chandhok said on Sky Sports F1.

“Nobody else I spoke to thought the intermediates were a good idea, certainly not the top teams.”

McLaren was not the only team to attempt the gamble. Several Audi, Cadillac, and Carlos Sainz entries also chose intermediate tyres. However, McLaren suffered the greatest consequences because it entered the race with genuine podium potential.

Norris initially benefited from the extra grip provided by the intermediate tyres and overtook both Mercedes cars into Turn 1. However, the advantage quickly disappeared as tyre degradation and track evolution exposed the weakness of McLaren’s strategy.

After switching to medium tyres at the end of Lap 2, Norris became trapped in traffic and struggled heavily with tyre warm-up. His race deteriorated further after running across the grass at Turn 4, encountering radiator cooling issues, and eventually retiring with a gearbox failure around mid-distance.

“Overall, it became a recovery drive. He probably would have ended up seventh or eighth with all the overtakes he was making, but the damage was done early on. Horrible day for Lando Norris and McLaren,” Chandhok explained.

Piastri’s afternoon also unravelled after dropping deep into the midfield. The Australian later collided with Alex Albon at the Turn 10 hairpin and received a 10-second penalty from FIA stewards. Piastri eventually finished 11th, two laps behind race winner Kimi Antonelli.

The Montréal weekend demonstrated how critical strategic decisions have become under the 2026 regulations, where tyre temperature sensitivity, energy management, and circuit evolution play increasingly decisive roles. With the competitive gap at the front continuing to narrow, mistakes in reading track conditions — such as McLaren’s Canadian gamble — can now destroy an entire race weekend almost immediately.