Oscar Piastri has issued a clear response to the widespread belief that Ferrari has the best starts on the grid, insisting that McLaren’s “have been better”.

The Australian qualified fourth for the Sprint at the Canadian Grand Prix, although he was more than three tenths adrift of polesitter George Russell.

McLaren and Ferrari appear incredibly closely matched in Montreal, with Lando Norris in third and the Ferraris in fifth and sixth.

The Woking-based outfit has introduced the second phase of its first major upgrade package in Canada, while Mercedes has also taken a significant step forward with its own upgrades.

“I mean, it was feeling pretty good,” said Piastri. “A bit of a messy day for everybody, I think, but the Mercedes still looks very strong.

“So, I think that’s probably the biggest takeaway from today, unfortunately. But we’ll see what we can do, see how we can optimise things a bit better, and try our best again tomorrow.”

Race starts have become hugely complicated since the introduction of the new power unit regulations, but Ferrari has consistently been strong off the line throughout the season so far.

Due to the removal of the MGU-H, severe turbo lag has become an issue with the new cars, resulting in revised start procedures being introduced from China onwards to tackle slow launches off the line.

Mercedes’ starts remain weak, with Kimi Antonelli and Russell often losing positions on the run to the first corner.

McLaren’s starts have also been strong and helped Piastri lead the opening stages in Japan, with the Australian believing the team’s launches are actually better than Ferrari’s.

Asked if he needs to watch his mirrors for fast-starting Ferrari drivers, Piastri replied: “Yeah, I mean, our starts have been better than Ferrari’s all year, so we’re confident in ours.

“I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before Mercedes gets competitive as well, but until that time comes, we’ll try our best to take advantage of it.”