McLaren’s ‘game-changer’ to fix Lando Norris’ big problem ‘hasn’t done the trick’

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Lando Norris is now almost a full Grand Prix win behind Oscar Piastri in the 2025 F1 drivers’ championship after the McLaren man crashed in last Sunday’s Canadian GP.

Late contact between the McLaren pair on Lap 66 of 70 in the Canadian GP saw Norris retire on the spot after he rear-ended Piastri. A massive 22 points now separate the papaya pals in the F1 drivers’ standings after the first 10 of 14 rounds to be held across the 2025 F1 season.

It is the largest deficit that Norris has faced to Piastri so far this year, having dropped at least 10 points chasing the 12 that the Australian earned in Montreal. It is also the second-largest margin between the pair after Norris led Piastri by 23 points after the Australian Grand Prix.

McLaren’s front suspension upgrade on Lando Norris’ car at the Canadian Grand Prix failed

Norris crashed into Piastri in the Canadian GP as the 25-year-old misjudged a shot to pass the 24-year-old. The Briton initially showed his intent by diving down Piastri’s inside into the hairpin, but Norris then drove into a closed door trying to finish his move on the pit straight.

Their contact destroyed McLaren’s upgraded front suspension on Norris’ car in Canada after he stuck with the new geometry that the Woking outfit took to Montreal. Piastri opted not to change his suspension set-up and persisted with the settings he has grown accustomed to.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from parents to celebration

Yet Motorsport.com reports that the new suspension geometry McLaren hoped would be a ‘game-changer’ for Norris at the Canadian GP ‘hasn’t done the trick’. Andrea Stella said that McLaren hoped the upgrade could improve their drivers’ feel with the front-end of their car.

Norris has struggled more than Piastri to generate a feeling with the front of the MCL39 this year, causing the Bristol native to struggle especially in qualifying. But despite team principal Stella’s optimism, McLaren’s suspension upgrade in Canada could not help Norris during Q3.

Lando Norris’ qualifying errors may have masked McLaren’s front suspension upgrade

McLaren will hope that Norris’ mistakes during Q3 at the Canadian GP masked any potential issues or weak points with their front suspension upgrade. Piastri chose against running the new geometry as the Melbourne native wanted consistency, and he qualified in third place.

Norris was the faster McLaren driver with their upgraded front suspension throughout each practice session and the first two phases of qualifying. But while Piastri rose to the occasion in Q3, Norris cracked with errors during both of his flying laps in the pole position shootout.

So, while McLaren’s front suspension upgrade at the Canadian GP might not have been the silver bullet that Norris needed, it may also be too early to say it completely failed. It will be telling to see if he persists with the upgrade at the Austrian Grand Prix and how it performs.