Andrea Stella expressed confidence in McLaren’s progress, stating that the team can realistically aim for its first podium finish of the 2026 Formula 1 season after a challenging start to the campaign.
Oscar Piastri’s third place on the starting grid at Suzuka represents a significant boost for a team that had endured a difficult opening phase of the championship. In the first two Grands Prix, McLaren cars failed to start on three occasions—once in Australia due to a major mistake by Oscar Piastri, and twice in China because of battery-related issues.
So far, McLaren has not secured a single podium, almost as if the recent successful past had been wiped away entirely. However, at Woking there is a strong belief that the MCL40 has considerable potential, even though several issues still need to be addressed. These challenges are not limited to understanding the Mercedes power unit but also involve aerodynamic efficiency and overall car weight.
Oscar Piastri’s third place on the Suzuka grid is therefore a welcome breath of fresh air, especially considering that Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari will start behind him.
The dominance of the black and silver Mercedes cars was never in question, given the current superiority of the W17 package. However, a positive sign for McLaren is having one car ahead of Ferrari, while Lando Norris secured fifth place on the grid, just ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the second Ferrari.
“Yes, I believe so,” Andrea Stella explained. “I think there are signs of progress in terms of performance and overall competitiveness. This improvement comes from extracting more from the chassis thanks to the setup work we have been doing. But most importantly, we are getting more out of the power unit. We have always said how difficult it is to fully exploit this new generation of power units, but we are becoming more familiar with it. We are also collaborating better with the HPP engineers assigned to us.”
The Suzuka weekend did not begin in the best way, with Lando Norris experiencing battery problems. Does achieving third place in qualifying reflect the work that has been done?
“Yes, and I think that is reflected in better lap times. That said, it is positive that in qualifying we are close to Ferrari, even if Mercedes is still one step ahead.”
The drivers appeared highly motivated throughout the weekend.
“Well, Oscar has driven very well throughout the entire weekend. And honestly, Oscar has been faster since the start of the season. He simply has not had the opportunity to show it, because in two races he was not even able to start. Piastri is in excellent form, and I hope tomorrow he will have the chance to demonstrate it.”
“As for Lando, we have to admit that we have kept him under pressure. We had delays in FP1 and issues in FP2, and this morning in FP3 we had to change the battery again. Norris is doing his best to minimize the impact of these problems. He is performing well, and I am very happy with how both Lando and Oscar are driving. I hope tomorrow we can have a normal race and score some points.”
With McLaren starting ahead of Ferrari, could the first podium now be a realistic objective?
“I think Ferrari has shown that it has slightly better race pace. So I would be pleasantly surprised if we were able to compete with the Scuderia for a podium finish. We have seen progress this weekend, so we will definitely be in the fight, but it is still a race and anything can happen. Of course, we will try to aim for the podium.”
Did you expect such a complicated start to the season?
“We know that we need to improve the car and, above all, we need to bring updates. That is the plan for the next race. I am confident that we will then be able to fight more consistently for podium finishes and, hopefully, later in the season for victories.”
McLaren’s situation reflects the challenges faced by many teams adapting to the new technical regulations. While the early races have exposed weaknesses, the signs of progress seen at Suzuka offer encouragement. With continued development and improved reliability, the Woking-based team is aiming to return to the front of the grid and reestablish itself as a consistent contender in the fight for podiums and, eventually, race wins.
Andrea Stella therefore believes McLaren is finally unlocking the secrets of the 2026 Mercedes power unit, positioning them as the primary challengers to Ferrari at Suzuka. Based on the content of today’s qualifying performance, a clean race for Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris could finally provide the championship-winning team with the podium result they have been chasing since the season opener.
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