McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has confirmed that the Woking-based Formula 1 team will introduce a heavily revised version of the MCL40 starting from the Miami Grand Prix. This significant upgrade package, focused primarily on aerodynamic performance and weight reduction, represents a potential step forward in McLaren’s efforts to close the gap to its main rivals in the 2026 Formula 1 season.
The McLaren team will debut a deeply revised car during the North American races, with the extended five-week gap between events proving extremely beneficial for development work. This break in the calendar has allowed teams to concentrate more effectively on upgrades without the constant pressure of back-to-back race weekends.
Original development plan and timing strategy
According to Andrea Stella, speaking to Racer, the intention to deliver a significantly upgraded car—particularly from an aerodynamic perspective—was part of McLaren’s original seasonal development plan from the very beginning.
“In our intention there was always the idea of delivering a completely new car – especially from the aerodynamic update point of view – for the North American races,” Stella explained.
He added: “So we were able to stick to this plan. Of course, the fact that the calendar has been modified helped a bit, as I am sure it helped all the other teams as well, who were able to work more smoothly on the car upgrade instead of being constantly focused only on racing.”
Expectations from competitors
Stella also emphasised that McLaren does not expect to gain a unique advantage from this update, as similar development steps are likely to be introduced by most of its competitors. As a result, he believes the overall competitive order may remain relatively stable.
“Again, I would like to underline that this is what I expect from most of our competitors. So there will not necessarily be a shift in the championship order. It will really be a case of seeing who has been able to add more performance over the same period of time.”
The McLaren team principal acknowledged that the team still has performance to recover, particularly compared to Mercedes, and to a slightly lesser extent Ferrari. However, he expressed satisfaction with the development progress achieved behind the scenes at McLaren.
“We also have some performance to recover if we look at Mercedes, and to some extent Ferrari as well. But we are quite happy with the development we have been able to manage behind the scenes. So we hope to see a slightly more competitive MCL40 in Miami and then in Canada, especially considering that the last race in Japan was already a competitive performance. So we are definitely looking forward to the upcoming races with confidence.”
Managing the power unit performance gap
Stella also addressed the initial performance deficit in terms of power compared to Mercedes, a gap that is partly linked to McLaren’s status as a customer team. He explained that this shortfall has been significantly reduced thanks to close cooperation with Mercedes High Performance Powertrains.
“From the point of view of working together with HPP and also in developing simulation tools, we have made a significant step forward compared to where we were in Australia,” he said. “So I think as a team we are now much better prepared.”
The McLaren team principal also reminded that some level of disadvantage at the start of the season was expected, given the nature of being a customer team and the development schedule, particularly in relation to the power unit.
“At the beginning of the season a deficit could exist as a natural consequence of being a customer team when the development schedule is so aggressive – also from the power unit side – and that was fine and something we were prepared to accept. But now, later in the season, I think we have closed that gap, and we should have all the tools needed to extract the maximum from the power unit.”
The upcoming upgrades therefore mark a pivotal moment for McLaren as they attempt to solidify their position at the front of the grid. By effectively utilizing the spring break to refine the MCL40’s aerodynamic profile and power delivery, the team is positioning itself to be a constant threat to the podium as the season moves into its most intense phase.
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