McLaren’s start to the 2026 Formula 1 season has been solid rather than spectacular, but team principal Andrea Stella believes the MCL40 has the ingredients to become a race‑winning car as the year unfolds.
Speaking ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, Stella offered a detailed assessment of the car’s strengths, weaknesses and development trajectory—and his message was one of measured optimism.
Asked directly how much potential the MCL40 holds, Stella did not hesitate: “I think the MCL40 is a very high‑potential platform.”
That confidence is rooted in McLaren’s understanding of where the car currently falls short relative to its main rivals. Stella was candid about the areas where Ferrari and Mercedes hold an advantage.
“At the moment, our car, when we compare it to Ferrari and Mercedes, suffers a bit of a deficit in grip. So, Ferrari and Mercedes are faster than us in the corners.”
The team’s analysis shows that the deficit is not limited to chassis performance. Stella acknowledged that McLaren is still learning how to fully exploit the new‑generation Mercedes power unit.
“I think compared to Mercedes, we see that we are probably underexploiting the power unit a little bit. It was better in China compared to Australia.”
The encouraging part, he said, is that the learning curve is steep—and trending in the right direction.
“We are on a steep learning curve when it comes to getting the most out of the power unit, which is positive, and we are working very well with HPP to make sure that we get on top of all the potential, extracting all the potential that is available in the power unit.”
But the heart of McLaren’s confidence lies in the chassis and aerodynamic package. Stella made clear that the team knows exactly where to focus its efforts.
“Coming back on the chassis side, we understand exactly what to do in terms of putting in place the actions to improve the chassis furthermore.”
The next steps are already in motion: “In fact, it’s just about bringing upgrades that will increase the aerodynamic efficiency. These will happen in the next couple of events.”
Those upgrades, Stella believes, will unlock the performance needed to fight at the front on merit.
“So I think from there we should see a positive trajectory and we are confident that McLaren will be in condition to compete for podiums and victories on merit within this season.”
