The Formula 1 World Championship is preparing to return to the track after the long forced break during April. Looking back at the opening phase of the 2026 season, the first three Grands Prix have clearly outlined Mercedes as the dominant force, with Ferrari establishing itself as the second-best team overall.
McLaren, however, has found itself further back, struggling with a slow start to the season. This has been caused partly by a package that still needs to be fully understood, and partly by technical issues that have led to significant setbacks on track.
Despite this, the Woking-based team’s drivers have not lost confidence and are already looking for a turnaround as the championship resumes in Miami.
Norris on a difficult start to the season: “We paid for lost track time”
Looking at the early part of the 2026 campaign, the reigning world champions have experienced a very different start compared to last season. On top of underwhelming performances, McLaren also faced technical problems that even prevented them from starting one of the Grands Prix.
The main reasons behind these difficulties are linked to the bedding-in process of the new MCL40 package and Mercedes power unit integration. However, by the time the Japanese Grand Prix arrived, early signs of improvement had already started to appear.
For this reason, both drivers remain confident that a return to the front of the grid is not far away.
“It hasn’t been the start to the season we were hoping for, and obviously as reigning champions the expectations were high,” said Lando Norris in his assessment released through McLaren’s official channels.
“We definitely need to work to get back into the fight for victories, and at the same time we need to make sure we have a car capable of winning every single weekend. We also had some issues that didn’t help the development of these cars. One thing we understood very early on is that spending time in the car and putting in laps is absolutely crucial to learn how to extract the maximum from the car and the power unit.”
The issues affecting McLaren have directly impacted track mileage, making the recovery path more challenging. “Considering that we missed the Chinese Grand Prix and had very limited running in free practice in Japan, it’s easy to see where we are lacking,” Norris added.
“However, we are using this break between Japan and Miami to do everything we can to close that gap in our understanding.”
Oscar Piastri also highlighted encouraging signs from Suzuka, where McLaren showed improved performance in race conditions.
“What we learned from the first two weekends came together in Japan, where we were quite strong at the start of the race,” said the Australian driver.
“I think we made a positive step. We still have a lot of hard work ahead, but this team has all the capability to keep improving throughout the year.”
F1 2026: there are still aspects worth keeping
Piastri also reflected on the driving characteristics of the new generation of cars, which bring different challenges compared to recent seasons.
“One of the big differences with these cars is that they are lighter, much shorter and narrower compared to 2025,” he explained.
“This means they can be a bit more agile and enjoyable in low-speed corners, but the difficulties with dirty air are still there and that cancels out some of those advantages, because turbulence is still a problem.”
“You also need to think much more tactically about many things, especially from an energy management perspective.”
On this aspect, the Australian driver also referenced the FIA, which has introduced new changes that will already be implemented at the Miami Grand Prix.
“These cars are more unpredictable. You will have seen that we often get power spikes that cause unexpected behaviour. We are working closely with the FIA, F1 and the other teams to make sure these things are properly evaluated, ensuring safe but also exciting racing for everyone.”
Staying on the same topic, Norris also highlighted positive aspects of the new cars, focusing on the physical behaviour rather than energy management.
“Last year we had a lot of downforce, the cars felt like they were on rails, but when you lost grip you just lost time or ended up in the gravel,” said the British driver when comparing the two generations of Formula 1 cars.
“That could be quite frustrating because it didn’t feel like you were making the difference as a driver, you just needed the car and had to stay within its limits.”
“These cars instead remind me of some of the cars I drove in junior categories, and I say that in a positive way, because you feel like you can make a difference. What I don’t like is not the car itself, but what sits behind it, which is the power unit regulations.”
Looking ahead, Norris remained optimistic about future improvements.
“The cars are fun to drive and some of these issues can be solved with software changes. Once we find the right balance, I think we will have a very exciting set of regulations.”
McLaren drivers confident for the rest of the season
Looking beyond May and the rest of the 2026 season, confidence remains strong within McLaren.
“I don’t think giving up and focusing on next year is ever really the right approach,” said the reigning world champion.
“There are plenty of examples where at the start of the year we weren’t where we wanted to be, and then we ended up in a much stronger position, like in 2023 or 2024. We’ve been through this before, and I trust this team can do it again.”
Norris also pointed to Suzuka as an example of progress.
“In the third round, even though there was still a gap at the end, we managed to exceed our initial expectations, and without the Safety Car we could have really been in the fight for the win.”
While it is difficult to know how that race would have truly unfolded, both drivers agree that it is far too early to write McLaren off.
“We have a lot of work to do to get back to the front consistently, but closing the gap to Mercedes and extracting the maximum performance is something that is in our control,” said Piastri.
“This team has already shown it is capable of turning things around, and we are starting from a stronger position compared to previous situations like 2024. I have full confidence that the team will do everything possible to get there, and I’m excited to see what we can achieve.”
While the initial phase of the 2026 regulations has been a steep learning curve for McLaren, the internal sentiment is far from defeatist. By identifying track mileage as their primary deficit, the team has utilized the April break to refine the MCL40’s software and energy deployment strategies. With a lighter, more agile chassis that both Norris and Piastri find rewarding to drive, the focus shifts to Miami as the starting point for a developmental surge. If history is any indication, McLaren’s ability to out-develop their rivals during the European leg of the season remains their greatest asset in the hunt to reclaim their spot at the top of the podium.
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