Oscar Piastri has urged caution despite McLaren\u2019s Miami breakthrough, with Mercedes poised to respond in Canada.<\/p>\n
McLaren overhauled Ferrari as Mercedes\u2019 closest challenger at the Miami Grand Prix, not only claiming the 1-2 in the Sprint but also joining Kimi Antonelli on the grand prix podium.<\/p>\n
Oscar Piastri cautious despite McLaren gains<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n It was McLaren\u2019s best result of the season and came on the back of the team updating its MCL40 with seven new parts, including a completely new floor.<\/p>\n McLaren not only ended Ferrari\u2019s podium run, but it became the first time this season to outscore Mercedes \u2013 48 to 45 points.<\/p>\n However, Mercedes has yet to play its hand, having only introduced two new parts in Miami. Instead, the Brackley squad will bring its big update to the next race in Montreal.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be interesting to see,\u201d Piastri<\/a> said of the season\u2019s pecking order.<\/p>\n \u201cI think, we kind of need to see where we stack up at a few different tracks.<\/p>\n \u201cI think especially in the Sprint side of this weekend, to have a 1-2 in the Sprint on pure pace, that was a pretty big surprise for us. So, things are working well.<\/p>\n \u201cWe expected the upgrades to be a good step forward, and they have been, and hopefully they are again in Canada.<\/p>\n \u201cBut obviously Mercedes didn\u2019t bring a lot this weekend, and they also have an upgrade package for Canada, so we\u2019ll have to wait and see how much that\u2019s worth for them.\u201d<\/p>\n For McLaren, though, it\u2019s a case of so far, so good.<\/p>\n F1 2026: The season\u2019s winners and losers<\/p>\n The results of the F1 2026 championship <\/a><\/p>\n The F1 2026 Drivers\u2019 and Constructors\u2019 Championship standings<\/a><\/p>\n Lando Norris claimed pole position and the victory in the Sprint ahead of Piastri, while the teammates were second and third in the grand prix behind Antonelli.<\/p>\n \u201cThe car has been a really good step forward,\u201d Piastri told PlanetF1.com and other media earlier in the weekend. \u201cTo be able to have that kind of pace as well has been a welcome return to form.\u201d<\/p>\n A return to form that his teammate Norris says has him feeling confident for the races to come.<\/p>\n But, he accepted, it\u2019s a case of wait and see what Mercedes bring to the track in Montreal.<\/p>\n \u201cCertainly,\u201d he insisted. \u201cI think you\u2019d have to feel silly if you don\u2019t feel confident about the future when we improved so much this weekend,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe also know it\u2019s a track that suits us. I\u2019m always that guy that looks at things on the slightly more glass-half-empty side, but this is a track that suits us and in the past has not suited the Mercedes quite so well.<\/p>\n \u201cYet they were still very fast, and we\u2019re going to go to a track that Mercedes have probably been the best at over the last five, six years. So, we have to wait and see.<\/p>\n \u201cI know we\u2019re bringing upgrades, but in Formula 1 it\u2019s too easy to judge things over one race. 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\u2019s no point getting ahead of ourselves.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve had a very good weekend, I\u2019m 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Additional reporting by Thomas Maher<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n