F1 | McLaren MCL40: small issues caused significant time loss
One of the most anticipated cars of the season, McLaren’s MCL40, arrived at the Barcelona shakedown with high expectations. Defending two world titles is always challenging, and repeating that success is even harder. The MCL40 immediately caught attention for some bold design choices visible to the naked eye.
McLaren approached the Barcelona test as a proper shakedown, focusing on accumulating mileage and gathering data. However, a few small issues slowed down the British team’s program.
Neil Houldey, McLaren’s technical director for engineering, summarized the situation at the end of the three-day test. “On the first two days, we were just preparing the car, making it ready. So maybe we felt a little behind schedule. On day one and day two, we couldn’t complete the mileage we wanted,” he explained.
“Minor issues kept us in the garage for quite a while. But yes, on the last day we got both drivers on track, and they completed many laps without any problems. After hours and hours of work and very long days, we leave satisfied with the result.”
Despite high mileage from most teams, the Barcelona shakedown highlighted just how new these cars and power units are—particularly regarding electrical energy deployment during a lap. McLaren, led by Andrea Stella, focused on technical and regulatory updates, testing low and high downforce wing modes, as well as the active aerodynamics partial mode for wet conditions, permitted by the race director.
“We tried to do as much as possible in the simulator, but there’s nothing like being on track and working with Mercedes-Benz to find the best solution for optimal performance on the circuit,” Houldey continued. “Most of the approvals were focused there. And then, of course, straight mode and cornering mode. Here too, it’s all about validation: everything is new for us, and figuring out the best way to use these systems was a key part of what we aimed to do this week.”
The three days of testing and high mileage were invaluable for data collection. All the information will be analyzed in Woking and fed into the simulator to improve correlation between virtual testing and real-world performance. This is crucial both for continuing testing and for helping drivers better prepare for race weekends.
“There’s so much material to bring back to the simulator. We can enhance realism because the drivers have now driven the real car, so we can develop the simulator more effectively. We did a lot of aerodynamic work and are currently verifying airflow. This will be extremely useful for our aero team to continue developing the car and identifying opportunities for improvement.
“We also took tons of photos of other teams’ cars. This is useful too: seeing what others are doing gives us ideas for future development directions. We really packed the week with work, and there’s still so much to do before we arrive in Bahrain with a faster and more reliable car than the one we had here,” concluded Houldey, McLaren’s technical director for engineering.
McLaren’s experience in Barcelona highlights the crucial balancing act required to master the 2026 technical regulations, where even minor mechanical “teething” issues can significantly disrupt a team’s data-gathering mission. By prioritizing the synchronization of Mercedes-Benz power unit modes with their new active aerodynamic profiles, Neil Houldey and his engineering team are laying the groundwork for the MCL40 to defend its double-championship legacy. While the initial delays were frustrating, the successful surge in mileage on the final day provided the critical real-world correlation needed to refine their simulator back in Woking. As the team pivots toward the official pre-season tests in Bahrain, the wealth of photographic intelligence gathered on rivals, combined with their internal aerodynamic validation, suggests that McLaren is rapidly recovering lost ground to ensure they remain the benchmark for innovation and reliability in the new era.
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