The Miami Grand Prix weekend proved to be extremely positive for McLaren, which finished the Sprint Race with a one-two result and secured second and third place in Sunday’s main race. Despite missing out on victory, the Woking-based team demonstrated that it had the fastest car on track, with the updates introduced on the MCL40 working exactly as intended. These strong results have allowed McLaren to make a significant leap in the championship standings, with both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles still completely open at this stage of the season.
The battle with Mercedes will be anything but straightforward, especially as the Anglo-German outfit is expected to bring further upgrades for the Canadian Grand Prix. However, the ‘papaya’ team knows how to win and, in recent seasons, has proven itself to be one of the strongest teams when it comes to in-season car development and performance optimisation.
Stella: “the upgrades worked exactly as we expected”
The Italian team principal first expressed his satisfaction with a weekend that may have even exceeded pre-event expectations: “It has been a very positive weekend for the whole team and, although the goal is always to convert performance into a win, we are very happy with the double podium. It is an important result that gives us great encouragement and satisfaction.”
Andrea Stella also highlighted the impressive progress made by the team, especially considering the difficulties faced at the beginning of the season. It is worth recalling that in China neither of the two drivers was able to start the race due to technical issues that could not be resolved in time. “We must not forget where we started this season: achieving a pole position in Sprint qualifying, a one-two finish in the Sprint Race and a double podium today, fighting for victory until the final laps, shows the incredible progress we are making together as a team. This result does not change our positive momentum; if anything, it strengthens it.”
Speaking about the first development package introduced on the MCL40, Stella added: “Our upgrades worked exactly as we hoped and I want to thank every single person at McLaren for the talent and hard work that made this step forward possible.”
However, the McLaren team principal still considers Mercedes as the benchmark across the grid after their strong start to the season: “We know that Mercedes still has a slight advantage, a couple of tenths, and we really need to rely on perfect execution to be able to beat them at this stage.”
Despite having a very competitive car, McLaren lost the chance to win in Miami with Lando Norris due to a slightly delayed decision regarding the timing of his pit stop: “Today we lost a small margin in execution, which we will analyse and improve back in Woking ahead of our next race in Canada.”
Development race will define the championship battle
Finally, Andrea Stella underlined what will make the difference not only for McLaren but for all top teams in the fight for both world titles: “The development battle will be crucial this season, with four teams capable of fighting for pole positions and race wins. Our development roadmap includes several projects, including sessions in Canada as well as others in Monaco and Spain. We are in the fight and we believe this sets the stage for a very exciting championship battle for the fans and for Formula 1.”
As expected, the Italian team principal and McLaren fully believe they are in contention for both world championships, which are no longer as predictable as they may have seemed at the start of the 2026 season. From this point onward, it will be the smallest details that make the difference between victory and defeat, something the Woking-based team experienced firsthand during the Miami weekend.
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