McLaren endured a disastrous Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday as a risky tyre gamble backfired spectacularly. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri started third and fourth on the grid, but the team chose intermediate tyres while most of the field opted for slicks in cold, slippery conditions.
The decision briefly looked promising when Norris stormed into the lead, but the rain had stopped before the start. Both cars were forced into early pit stops as the track dried out.
"Unfortunately for us, it stopped raining as the formation lap started," Piastri told Sky TV. "Had it rained a little bit more, we would have looked like heroes. But it didn't, so we looked like idiots."
Norris retired on lap 38 with a gearbox problem. Piastri later locked up and collided with Williams' Alex Albon, earning a 10-second penalty and finishing 11th.
Team principal Andrea Stella defended the call, saying the rain stopping just before the race was unfortunate timing. McLaren, the reigning constructors' champions, left Montreal without a single point.
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli won his fourth straight race for Mercedes. Norris now sits fifth in the drivers' standings, 73 points behind the Italian teenager.