Major McLaren and Mercedes performance difference explained

At the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, a key technical difference between McLaren and Mercedes has been identified: McLaren has chosen shorter gear ratios than Mercedes, causing its drivers to reach a higher gear on three occasions around the lap and shift up earlier during acceleration. This contributed to Lando Norris's McLaren qualifying 0.151 seconds behind polesitter George Russell's Mercedes, with the shorter ratios hurting performance on long straights to Turn 10 and the final chicane. Despite the disadvantage in those sections, the choice offers better acceleration elsewhere and influences energy recovery strategy, and is possible because McLaren designs its own gearboxes despite using the Mercedes power unit.