Lando Norris and McLaren aren’t paying much attention to the upgrades Mercedes have brought with them to Montreal, even as the build-up continues ahead of this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix.
There’s been plenty of discussion around how teams like Mercedes and McLaren might benefit from new updates heading into this weekend, especially with so many eyes on the front runners.
McLaren made significant changes to the MCL40 in preparation for Canada, which should give both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri a stronger platform to compete.
Meanwhile, Mercedes have also arrived with notable upgrades as they look to strengthen their position at the top of the championship standings.
Norris doesn’t seem concerned about what other teams are bringing though. He remains focused on making sure McLaren get as much out of their own improvements as possible this weekend.
Lando Norris plays down the impact of McLaren’s upgrades
Lando Norris was asked about the level of concern he and McLaren have over Mercedes’ rumoured upgrade package when speaking to Formula 1 before the Canadian Grand Prix weekend.
Norris dismissed any real concern, saying McLaren aren’t worried about what others are doing. Instead, their focus is on continuing to build on the improvements seen in Miami and making sure they’re ready for the sprint format in Montreal.
The 2025 world champion told Formula 1: “Who knows? I don’t. We had a good weekend in Miami. But this is a completely different layout. Very difficult to predict. We don’t really care at the moment. We’re just focused on making sure we prepare well on a sprint race weekend.
“That’s really one of the most important things on a weekend like this, just making sure we hit the ground running. That’s normally what brings someone success on a sprint weekend, starting in a very good place. That’s our goal. We don’t really care where everyone thinks they’re going to be.”
When asked about McLaren’s own upgrades, Norris played down their impact, suggesting there were only minor changes but still valuable enough to help them improve by small margins.
“We got some upgrades, but some of them barely changed anything. We’re talking tiny things here and there. But everything is to try and push us in the right direction.
“The more the merrier, and anything that helps us be a little bit quicker, especially when you’re talking about thousands and hundreds of times, is a good thing. The team have done a good job. We’re prepared on making sure we hit the ground running later.”
Ruth Buscombe noticed Toto Wolff appeared ‘very confident’ in the F1 paddock
While Norris and McLaren might not be paying much attention to Mercedes’ upgrades, there’s a sense of confidence coming from their camp. Ruth Buscombe shared her impressions of Toto Wolff’s demeanor in Montreal, and it sounded like he was feeling positive.
“Nowadays in Formula 1, we find out exactly what everyone has got when they do their declaration document. The Mercedes camp are confident. The numbers are bandying around. It’s quite a large number, maybe up to half a second. That is, maybe, just paddock rumbles.
“However, Toto Wolff was very, very confident when I saw him. He was happy. Body language, often more than numbers, says something. I don’t think it was a surprise that they brought it here.
“They brought a massive package here in 2024, including that gorgeous front wing. That was a big step in their season. I think that was always the plan.”
It had been reported earlier that McLaren’s progress had led Wolff to push for greater precision in Mercedes’ development approach ahead of Montreal.
And even though some worry about how these changes might affect Kimi Antonelli after his strong start to the year, there’s no denying that many see Mercedes as early favourites heading into the weekend.
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