McLaren’s MCL40 upgrades delivered pole position and victory for Lando Norris at the Hungarian Grand Prix, but Andrea Stella has warned that Zandvoort will not provide definitive proof of the team’s resurgence. Although the Dutch circuit could suit the improving car, the more power-sensitive Monza layout may offer a clearer indication of how far McLaren’s latest development package has moved the team forward.
Formula 1’s summer break ends at the beginning of this week, officially launching the second half of the championship. Racing resumes next weekend at Zandvoort, where the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix Sprint weekend will mark Formula 1’s final visit before the event leaves the official calendar.
The last round before the break did not produce the anticipated performance from Ferrari. McLaren, by contrast, emerged as one of the leading teams at the Hungaroring. Lando Norris had already shown excellent pace on Saturday before the papaya cars became central figures in the race, with the reigning world champion eventually lifting the winner’s trophy.
The Hungarian Grand Prix victory revived Lando Norris’s season on a personal level. It would still be premature to claim that the result has reopened the championship battle, although Formula 1 has repeatedly shown how quickly a title fight can change. In 2025, Max Verstappen recovered a substantial deficit to the McLaren drivers and remained in contention until the final race.
McLaren MCL40 upgrades begin delivering answers
Returning to the current season, McLaren performed strongly in Hungary and had already shown encouraging signs over the preceding races. That progress has been assisted by several updates to the car, along with work involving the Mercedes power unit. Mercedes has managed its development carefully this season without immediately revealing the full potential of its package to customer teams, although collaboration with Mercedes High Performance Powertrains has helped McLaren make an important step.
Further aerodynamic and mechanical developments for the MCL40 are expected. One of the potential additions is a rotating rear-wing concept first introduced by Ferrari and subsequently copied by Red Bull. It remains unclear when McLaren intends to deploy the solution or whether the team will move closer to Ferrari’s interpretation or the more extreme version used by Red Bull. McLaren could therefore introduce a third interpretation of the so-called “Macarena” rear wing.
McLaren is nevertheless expected to arrive at the Dutch Grand Prix in much stronger form, particularly with Lando Norris. There is growing speculation that the British driver is becoming increasingly effective with the new generation of Formula 1 cars. Oscar Piastri, meanwhile, still appears to be struggling to find a consistent rhythm, having admitted that his 2026 campaign has featured more lows than highs.
Zandvoort shares several characteristics with the Hungaroring. Engine performance is less decisive than at many other circuits, while aerodynamic load, traction and a stable rear end are particularly important. Those demands could suit the strengths McLaren has displayed during its latest races.
Andrea Stella urges caution over McLaren’s Zandvoort prospects
There is no reason to rule out another competitive McLaren weekend or even a repeat of its Hungarian performance. Andrea Stella, however, has moved to temper expectations. As reported by MotorsportWeek, the McLaren team principal stressed that the developments introduced in Budapest were only the first stage of a broader upgrade programme for the MCL40.
“The upgrades we took to Hungary are part of a round of upgrades that is distributed over a few races,” Andrea Stella explained. “So, this was the first part of these upgrades. There will be a few things coming for the next races.”
Andrea Stella continued: “I have to say that this year pretty much all the top teams have been successful in introducing their upgrades. I think this is because the regulations are still relatively immature and there are development opportunities that are almost low-hanging fruit.”
“So, I don’t think McLaren has any particular advantage or that anything we bring automatically works. Everyone is now doing a very good job of making their upgrades work on the track.”
Andrea Stella concluded: “The real difference will be how many upgrades the leading teams are able to produce between now and the end of the championship, because we are only halfway through the season. It is definitely too early to say whether this could be a turning point for McLaren. The pole position in Hungary even went beyond our real expectations.”
McLaren’s true MCL40 test may come at Monza
According to Andrea Stella, the result achieved in Hungary exceeded McLaren’s expectations. The upgrades worked and several components produced encouraging responses, but the team did not anticipate that the complete package would perform strongly enough to secure pole position and victory.
Andrea Stella is therefore warning against assuming that the Dutch Grand Prix will automatically reproduce what happened at the Hungaroring. The upgrades introduced in Hungary are working, but they represent only the opening stage of a development programme that will continue throughout the remainder of the season.
The comments could be interpreted as an attempt to redirect attention towards McLaren’s rivals and avoid generating unrealistic expectations. However, Andrea Stella’s previous assessments have often proved well-founded over the longer term. At the beginning of the season, the McLaren team principal predicted that positive results would eventually arrive, and the team’s Hungarian success supported that view.
McLaren must still address its reliability concerns. The Mercedes power unit is competitive, but it also needs to integrate effectively with the characteristics of the MCL40. The team showed significant signs of progress in Hungary and suggested that circuits requiring more aerodynamic load than outright engine performance may be its most favourable venues, although further confirmation is needed.
There were positive indications at Spa-Francorchamps as well. Lando Norris qualified third in Belgium, demonstrating that the different elements of the package are beginning to work together, even though his weekend was subsequently complicated by a grid penalty and other setbacks that contributed to McLaren missing a potential podium.
McLaren is therefore one of the teams to watch during the second half of the championship. The Woking operation appears to be on an upward trajectory and, for now, seems most competitive at circuits where aerodynamic load and traction matter more than outright power.
The decisive examination may instead arrive at Monza. Engine performance will carry much greater importance on the high-speed Italian circuit, making it an important test of how much McLaren’s power unit and aerodynamic developments have improved the MCL40. Further updates could also be introduced when the team reaches the Italian Grand Prix.
