McLaren is determined to bounce back after a disappointing British Grand Prix. The Woking-based team could do no better than fourth place with Lando Norris at Silverstone, and the early forecasts for the Belgian Grand Prix suggest that the Spa-Francorchamps weekend could prove equally challenging. However, the team is preparing to introduce the first part of a significant upgrade package for the MCL40 at the Hungarian Grand Prix one week later.
Before those larger developments arrive, McLaren will debut a new rear wing specification at Spa-Francorchamps. However, this is not the much-discussed “Macarena” version that has attracted attention elsewhere in the paddock. Instead, the update forms part of the team’s planned development programme as it continues refining the MCL40 throughout the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Neil Houldey, McLaren’s Technical Director of Engineering, outlined the team’s expectations ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix.
“Our preparation has been extremely thorough, with extensive simulation work to anticipate what we know will be a very demanding weekend from an energy management perspective. We arrive at Spa with a new rear wing, an update that had already been planned as part of the car’s development programme.”
“We are confident that this update will add a small amount of performance to our car, but we are also fully aware that after a difficult British Grand Prix, particularly in terms of outright pace, this race is unlikely to be any easier. Therefore, we are not expecting any major changes in terms of our overall competitiveness.”
McLaren’s biggest concern is energy management around the iconic Belgian circuit, which features several extremely long straights and relatively few heavy braking zones. These characteristics make Spa-Francorchamps one of the most demanding venues on the Formula 1 calendar for hybrid power unit deployment and battery management.
“The Belgian Grand Prix will be incredibly demanding from an energy management standpoint and remains one of the most critical circuits on the calendar. We expect to face significant superclipping, which will put both the car and the drivers under considerable pressure.”
Superclipping occurs when the hybrid energy deployment reaches its limit before the end of a long straight, forcing the car to rely primarily on internal combustion engine power. This can significantly affect straight-line performance, making efficient energy management one of the key performance factors at Spa.
Spa-Francorchamps is also famous for its highly unpredictable weather conditions, with sunshine and heavy rain often affecting different sectors of the circuit at the same time. Those changing conditions can dramatically influence both strategy and car setup over the course of the weekend.
“We are expecting very unstable weather conditions. Although wet conditions bring their own challenges, we also see them as a valuable opportunity to finally run the car in the rain and better understand its behaviour in low-grip conditions, which could provide crucial data for the remainder of the season.”
While McLaren hopes the new rear wing introduced at Spa will deliver a modest performance gain, the team views the Belgian Grand Prix primarily as another important step in its development programme before the more substantial upgrade package scheduled to debut at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
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