Lando Norris is feeling a renewed sense of confidence heading into the Canadian Grand Prix, buoyed by McLaren’s dramatic performance turnaround at the recent Miami Grand Prix. After a challenging start to the 2026 Formula 1 season, the Woking-based team showed impressive pace, leading Norris to believe they can carry that momentum to Montreal.

McLaren’s miami resurgence

The opening rounds of the 2026 campaign had been a frustrating affair for McLaren. The team endured a series of setbacks:

• Oscar Piastri suffered a reconnaissance lap crash in Australia.
• McLaren recorded an unusual double DNS (Did Not Start) in China.
• The car consistently lacked pace compared to rivals like Mercedes in the early stages.

A crucial five-week gap following the Japanese Grand Prix allowed the team to identify weaknesses and develop a significant upgrade package. This package debuted at the Miami Grand Prix, transforming their fortunes. Norris converted pole position into a victory in the Sprint race, with teammate Oscar Piastri securing P2. The momentum continued into the main event, where Norris and Piastri achieved a double top-three finish behind winner Kimi Antonelli, marking McLaren’s first podiums of 2026.

Norris reflected on the stark improvement, telling Formula1.com, “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.”

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Optimism for montreal, with a caveat

Looking ahead to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Norris believes the track characteristics will play into McLaren’s hands. He noted that Montreal is “a track that suits us,” and historically, it “has not suited the Mercedes quite so well.” This perspective is significant, given Mercedes’ dominance at the Canadian track over the last five or six years, including George Russell’s victory there last year.

The 2025 Canadian Grand Prix, which was Round 10 of that season, proved to be a difficult outing for McLaren, marking the first round without one of their drivers on the rostrum. A late-race collision between Norris and Piastri ruled Norris out and ended Piastri’s podium challenge, highlighting the circuit’s unforgiving nature.

Despite the recent success and optimistic outlook, Norris is keen to manage expectations. He emphasized the importance of evaluating performance over a sustained period and across diverse circuit layouts. “I know we’re bringing upgrades, but in Formula 1 it’s too easy to judge things over one race,” Norris explained. “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.”

This cautious optimism underscores McLaren’s determination to build on their Miami breakthrough, rather than resting on a single strong performance, as they head to Canada.

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Sources: www.formula1.com

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