McLaren heads into the Hungarian Grand Prix facing an important test after energy deployment and set-up problems prevented the MCL40 from maximising its potential at Spa-Francorchamps. Andrea Stella has acknowledged that improvements are needed under braking and through the middle of corners, but the source reports that the team’s more substantial upgrade package will not arrive in Hungary.
The British team returned to Woking from the Belgian Grand Prix with a smaller points haul than expected. Penalties, time lost during the pit stops and the unfortunate timing of the Virtual Safety Car effectively denied Lando Norris the opportunity to fight for a podium, while Oscar Piastri’s race was compromised by contact with Charles Leclerc.
Why McLaren could not maximise the MCL40 at Spa
Oscar Piastri came off worse in the close battle with Charles Leclerc. The Australian sustained floor damage that, according to the source, cost him approximately two to three tenths of a second per lap.
However, McLaren’s failure to obtain the desired result cannot be attributed entirely to racing incidents and unfortunate circumstances. The two MCL40s did not maximise their underlying pace during the Spa weekend, particularly in the race, and Andrea Stella was candid when discussing the technical reasons behind that shortfall.
Ahead of final practice, McLaren had still not approved its definitive set-up. Several configurations were reportedly tested on Friday, but the engineers had yet to establish which option offered the best compromise. This uncertainty also explains why the team prepared two different rear-wing specifications.
Building the correct set-up is fundamental to executing a successful race weekend, but McLaren did not make as much progress as it had hoped. In simple terms, the MCL40’s set-up was not fully optimised for Spa.
The original report also argues that Ferrari currently possesses a clear advantage over McLaren. Its assessment is that the SF-26 tends to make a greater step forward over longer runs, helped by the consistently strong work carried out by the Maranello engineers. That advantage could remain significant in Budapest, where Ferrari’s low-speed cornering strength may suit the Hungaroring.
McLaren must improve its Mercedes energy deployment
Beyond the set-up difficulties, McLaren’s main concern at Spa was energy management. The team uses the same power unit as Mercedes, but it cannot simply adopt the same maps governing energy harvesting and deployment.
Those maps must be developed independently at Woking because they effectively serve as the power unit’s brain, determining how stored electrical energy is recovered and delivered around the lap. This is currently considered one of McLaren’s clearest weaknesses.
By qualifying, the team had already recognised that further fine-tuning of its energy deployment was required. Mercedes and Ferrari, by comparison, had reportedly done an excellent job in this area from the beginning of the weekend. Ferrari’s work was considered particularly effective when its underlying power-unit deficit was taken into account.
McLaren’s difficulty adds further context to the wider battery deployment concerns discussed by Oscar Piastri and George Russell. Mercedes has also examined the causes of George Russell’s deployment problems after time was lost towards the end of straights.
Why McLaren cannot simply copy Mercedes’ hybrid maps
An obvious question follows: why can McLaren not copy the approach used by Mercedes, which extracts more from the same power unit? The answer is that every energy map must be tailored to the characteristics of the individual car.
The MCL40 produces more drag and consequently requires greater electrical assistance towards the end of a straight. Mercedes, by contrast, can end its electrical contribution earlier without suffering the same consequences.
The mapping must also complement the amount of instantaneous grip produced by the car and its ability to generate traction. How and when the electrical power is delivered therefore depends on the aerodynamic and mechanical characteristics of the chassis rather than the power unit alone.
“We need to improve under braking and through the middle of the corner to challenge our rivals at circuits such as Hungary and the Netherlands,” Andrea Stella explained.
These two areas are crucial because they account for two of the three principal phases of cornering. They could prove particularly important at the Hungaroring, where McLaren will face a Mercedes team that is also confident the W17 can challenge Ferrari.
MCL40 also needs more downforce and chassis performance
McLaren is also considered to have a deficit to Ferrari through the middle of corners. The same applies to vertical load, even though the MCL40 is already regarded as reasonably competitive in that area.
The difficulties on corner entry are linked to more specific characteristics of the car. McLaren therefore needs to improve its braking, cornering performance, downforce and chassis behaviour rather than relying on a single change to solve every weakness.
This need for progress across several areas is also presented as the reason why the next technical developments have not yet appeared on the car.
“We have upgrades scheduled for the second part of the season,” Andrea Stella confirmed.
McLaren upgrade package expected after the Hungarian GP
According to the source, the MCL40 will remain unchanged for the Hungarian Grand Prix. A more substantial upgrade package is instead expected from the Dutch Grand Prix onwards, as McLaren attempts to address the limitations highlighted during recent races.
The team’s development rate has not been among the strongest on the grid, which the report identifies as one reason McLaren has appeared unable to respond effectively to its rivals in recent rounds. The delayed package therefore increases the importance of extracting more from the existing car in Hungary through improved set-up work and better energy management.
McLaren must find a more effective compromise between drag, electrical deployment and cornering performance if it is to challenge Ferrari and Mercedes consistently. The Hungaroring will offer the next indication of whether the lessons learned at Spa can help Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri recover performance before the larger updates arrive.
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