Despite sharing the same power unit, McLaren and Mercedes extract performance in very different ways. The Woking-based team designs and manufactures its own gearbox in-house to gain greater engineering freedom and has opted for shorter gear ratios, a choice that provides advantages in acceleration but comes at a cost on longer straights. Mercedes, on the other hand, has chosen longer ratios and enjoys superior straight-line speed.
Formula 1 moves quickly. In recent years, there had been extensive discussion about making gearboxes a standardized component across all teams in order to reduce costs, as they were increasingly viewed as a less decisive performance factor. However, with the arrival of the 2026 regulations, the gearbox has once again become a central element of car design.
The clearest example can be found in the comparison between Mercedes and McLaren. Although both teams use the same power unit, they exploit it in noticeably different ways, creating performance differences not only in slower sections of the track but also on the straights. McLaren develops and manufactures its gearbox entirely in-house, including not just the casing but all of the internal components as well. The team has also made different choices regarding gear ratios, with the MCL40 running noticeably shorter gearing.
“We think there are definitely pros and cons in the choice of gear ratios. We have shorter gear ratios than Mercedes. This can give us some advantages in acceleration. For example, it can provide an advantage off the start line,” said McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, confirming observations that had already emerged during pre-season testing in Bahrain.
This was a topic that had already surfaced during the opening rounds of the season, but after five Grands Prix it is now possible to build a much clearer picture. Throughout the early races, McLaren consistently demonstrated stronger launches than Mercedes despite using the same power unit. It was a clear indication that Mercedes’ difficulties in this area could not be attributed to a single factor.
Just as choosing a larger or smaller turbocharger involves advantages and compromises, gearbox ratios also come with their own strengths and weaknesses. Given the characteristics of the new technical regulations, some teams, including Mercedes and Red Bull, opted for relatively long lower gears. This approach helps keep engine revs higher through slower corners and maximizes battery recharging opportunities. Different gear ratios mean different engine speeds and different levels of stress on the power unit, making the choice a critical one.
Shorter ratios, by contrast, multiply the torque delivered to the driven wheels, improving acceleration from a standing start. This is particularly beneficial during the initial phase of acceleration, when the MGU-K is not yet providing assistance and the internal combustion engine must do all the work. Naturally, this advantage depends on engineers accurately estimating available grip from the starting grid slot to avoid excessive wheelspin from the rear tires.
However, the impact of these differences extends well beyond race starts. They also influence acceleration and speed progression throughout the lap. Data collected over the first five race weekends highlights a recurring trend, one that Stella himself acknowledged: the shorter the straight, the more competitive McLaren tends to be.
It is true that during the opening stages of the season the Woking team was still learning how to maximize the Mercedes power unit, inevitably facing a knowledge deficit compared to the manufacturer that had developed it. Yet this difference in philosophy remained evident not only during the first few Grands Prix but also in the most recent events, where differing energy recovery limits revealed an even broader picture.
Miami and Montreal represented two opposite extremes. In the United States, the FIA allowed teams to harvest up to 8 MJ during qualifying, the maximum permitted under the regulations. In Canada, however, the limit was reduced to just 6 MJ per lap, forcing teams to manage energy in a much more selective and precise way. Looking specifically at Miami, McLaren was able to remain competitive during the first part of the long acceleration zones, but the longer the straight continued, the more the MCL40 began to struggle.
Interestingly, during Saturday qualifying this behavior did not become apparent before Turn 11, and there was a specific reason for that. After experiencing issues exiting Turn 16 in previous sessions, McLaren instructed its drivers to cancel superclipping before the braking zone at Turn 11. The decision helped prevent a recurrence of the problem but also altered battery deployment and energy management throughout the lap.
As a result, before the final braking zone on the long straight, McLaren suffered both from its shorter eighth gear and from having already used a significant amount of available energy elsewhere on the lap. The consequence was a top-speed deficit of more than 10 km/h compared to Mercedes.
A similar pattern emerged in Canada, a circuit that sits at the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of energy recovery requirements. In the first two acceleration zones of Sector 2, both relatively short and with top speeds around 290 km/h, the McLaren was highly competitive and able to match the performance of the Mercedes W17. However, on the long straight leading to the final chicane, Mercedes once again gained the upper hand.
Examining gearbox data makes the picture even clearer. McLaren frequently uses a higher gear than its rivals in several parts of the lap, engaging eighth gear where others remain in seventh. On circuits where superclipping plays a significant role, reaching a higher speed at the end of the straight can provide a double advantage, not only in lap time but also in energy recovery efficiency.
During Friday Sprint qualifying in Canada, the speed deficit on the longest straight was particularly noticeable, sometimes exceeding ten kilometers per hour. That is why McLaren adjusted its energy deployment strategy on Saturday in an effort to close the gap.
“This gear ratio can also give us an advantage on the straight, depending on the speed involved. But it can also create disadvantages. When you reach very high speeds on a long straight, such as from Turn 10 to Turn 13, you might want a slightly longer ratio, for example in eighth gear. So it becomes a compromise about where you want to be most competitive with your gearing,” Stella confirmed, referring specifically to what had been observed in Canada.
There is not necessarily a universally correct solution. Rather, each approach comes with its own strengths and weaknesses depending on where a team wants to generate lap time. On circuits featuring very long straights, especially where available energy is limited, Mercedes appears to have an advantage. Conversely, on tighter layouts with frequent acceleration zones, McLaren can capitalize on the stronger initial acceleration provided by its shorter ratios.
One of the strengths of the Mercedes W17 so far has been its versatility. Beyond its aerodynamic efficiency advantage—an area in which McLaren is rapidly closing the gap—the car appears to strike a balance that allows it to remain competitive across a wide variety of circuit types. There will inevitably be tracks where it struggles more, but the broader picture suggests that, in addition to the quality of the power unit itself, the way Mercedes generates lap time is particularly well suited to a diverse range of venues.
Gear ratios must be homologated at the start of the season and normally remain fixed for the entire year. However, the regulations include a special provision this season that would allow teams to modify them once during the remainder of the championship. Stella, however, sees no reason to make changes, believing that the benefits of McLaren’s current setup outweigh any drawbacks and complement the rest of the MCL40 package.
“At the moment we are satisfied with our choice. We are not considering revising our configuration, even though the regulations would allow us to do so. We believe that some of the advantages we gain in conditions other than the longest straights ultimately place us in a positive position overall,” Stella added.
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