The McLaren Comeback: A Review of the 2025 Canadian and Austrian Grand Prix
The weekend of June 15th hosted the Canadian Grand Prix in 2025 and the race caused a devastating ending for the McLaren team. While this team has been dominating all season long, this was the first grand prix in 2025 in which neither driver stood on the podium. Having a close battle between Piastri and Norris for a few laps while in fourth and fifth, respectively, it ended on lap sixty-seven by Norris failing to go for a gap causing the two papaya drivers to collide. Consequently, Norris had damaged his car forcing a retirement causing a DNF and leaving Piastri to an end result of fourth.
Through the nine previous races all season, Montreal ended with the worst result for the papaya team. While they remain ahead in the constructor championship, and Piastri then extended his lead in the championship from his teammate, this weekend was nonetheless a loss for the team as a whole. While both McLaren cars proved to be strong and held good pace, Norris made a few misjudgments on track causing his result, and the winners of Mercedes AMG Petronas were found to have outstanding pace all weekend. Together, these factors lead to the worst McLaren result of the season, causing a push for a comeback at the following race in two weeks’ time.
Dealing with the aftermath of the Canadian Grand Prix, the team continued to work hard leading up to the next race in Austria. In the preview to the race at the Red Bull Ring, the team was said to have spent good time at the factory strategizing and preparing the cars for the following race. With the circuit consisting of many straights and quick corners, the papaya team is once again favoured entering the weekend and the team was able to prove this right by a great comeback from Canada.
In Austria, having an end result with a double podium, the McLaren team had dominated the track all weekend. Norris and Piastri finishing first and second, respectively in free practice one and two, was only the start of the strong weekend they had ahead of them. In qualifying, Norris gained pole position and set two laps good enough for the top spot. Being more than half a second ahead of Leclerc, who was in second, Norris proved his abilities all through Friday and Saturday hitting nonstop purple sectors. With Piastri starting in third, only in the second row behind Norris, he pushed for a great start in the first corner allowing him to get ahead of Leclerc with both McLarens then leading the race for its majority. With both papaya cars extending their lead of the race, it remained intense for any McLaren fans as the two evenly matched drivers fought hard on the track. With great racing from both drivers, Norris sustained the pressure that was put on him by his teammate and led himself to yet another race win. A marvelous drive from Piastri as well, landed him on the second step of the podium. Norris was able to slightly cut the gap in the drivers’ championship, leaving Piastri with only a fifteen-point lead from his teammate.
While this race proved to be intense for a variety of battles and retirements throughout the teams on track, the McLarens were able to prove the Canadian result as a small mistake and not a new pattern. The team crushed the entirety of the weekend, having their best possible result with a one two finish only extending their lead from Ferrari in the constructors’ championship. This season, the McLaren team has continued to prove their domination, and they have shown once again that they remain to be the main competition on track, and they are the ones to beat.
Written by Mira Johal
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