Piastri may choose not to go with the new McLaren suspension.

      "It’s challenging for the drivers to assess their impact."

      

      Lando Norris may have exited the Canadian GP after colliding with his championship-leading teammate, but the British racer has the opportunity to regain momentum starting this weekend in Austria. Oscar Piastri, who is currently 22 points ahead of his fellow McLaren driver, has demonstrated a greater ease with the 2025 car so far, while Norris has consistently voiced concerns about feeling uneasy with its handling. According to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, McLaren has acted on the feedback from the 25-year-old Brit. "The new front suspension is intended to enhance the drivers' feedback," said team principal Andrea Stella in Montreal. "We’ve made slight adjustments to the geometry—nothing significant." The German outlet reports that Piastri could have opted for the new geometry in Canada, but only Norris had it installed on his orange car. Insiders suggest that Norris was the faster McLaren in Canada. "McLaren has been experimenting with new components," Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko told the Kleine Zeitung newspaper. "Lando Norris was incredibly fast in the race before he made his mistakes again." Nevertheless, Stella mentioned that the effectiveness of the new suspension remains uncertain. "The alterations are so slight that it's tough for the drivers to gauge their impact," the Italian stated. "We can only assess that after running a back-to-back comparison." This will take place this weekend in Austria, but Stella remarked on Norris’ use of the new components in Canada: "There were no negative surprises with Lando. He felt at ease with it. Compared to Oscar, Lando was competitive from the outset. For us, this indicates that the trial with the front suspension was beneficial for him." Piastri is set to test the new suspension during practice at the Red Bull Ring, but he may revert to the previous setup for the remainder of the weekend. "They could continue to use different suspensions," Stella confirmed. "It’s up to the drivers to choose which specification they feel more comfortable with." However, even if Norris outpaces him in raw speed, Marko has already expressed his confidence in Piastri—citing the Australian’s mental resilience. "Naturally, you take that crash in Canada into account," Marko mentioned, "and you see how Piastri managed to keep going. Even during practice, he hit the wall but still returned to the pits. And while the engines of Mercedes and Williams fail, that McLaren holds up," the Austrian added. Some believe that despite publicly promoting a stance of full driver parity, McLaren may now be focusing more on Piastri’s chances for the drivers’ championship. "That’s an internal matter for McLaren," Marko stated. "But we know that 'papaya rules' is now a well-known phrase in Formula 1."