A perfect start from third on the grid had Lando Norris jumping the Mercedes drivers into the lead of the Canadian Grand Prix, but the decision to fit his McLaren with intermediate tyres for a dry race meant he was never destined to stay there in what turned out to be a disastrous day for the reigning champion and his title-winning team.
McLaren had been optimistic it was on a Mercedes-challenging trajectory after Miami. Another round of upgrades in Montreal had Norris splitting George Russell and Kimi Antonelli in the Sprint, and when he closed the gap to pole to just 0.151s — his narrowest Grand Prix Qualifying deficit all season — the circumstances seemed to be ripe for him to play a protagonist role in the race.
