Sepang’s characteristics should have played to the strengths of the McLaren MCL40, particularly its high-downforce performance through fast corners. Instead, the Woking team ended the weekend looking like Formula 1’s fourth-fastest force, almost an anomaly given what had been expected before the event. The unusual asphalt may have played a part, but Andrea Stella believes there could be more to the story, including the possibility that McLaren’s rivals have simply developed their cars more effectively.
It was no secret that Baku was expected to be one of the most difficult rounds of the entire season for McLaren. Sepang, by contrast, was widely regarded within the team as a circuit that should have suited the MCL40. That explains both the disappointment and some of the surprise at seeing the car fail to fight consistently at the front and instead emerge as only the fourth-fastest package.
Looking at the characteristics of the Malaysian circuit, there were certainly elements that appeared well suited to the MCL40. As Audi and Aston Martin also demonstrated, Sepang did not prove to be especially power-sensitive, meaning some power unit limitations could be masked by chassis performance through the faster corners. The McLaren has never been particularly effective on long straights, partly because of limitations related to power unit usage, gearbox ratios and a certain lack of aerodynamic efficiency. Lando Norris also suffered an engine problem during the weekend. Even so, the expectation was that the downforce strengths previously demonstrated in the Netherlands, Hungary and Madrid would also emerge at Sepang.
Sepang was supposed to suit McLaren, but something changed
“I can’t say whether Singapore will be a track that suits us better because, looking at the layout, we expected Sepang to be a good track for us,” Andrea Stella explained.
So why was the MCL40 unable to live up to those expectations? Several factors need to be considered, with the first linked to the type of asphalt used at Sepang, which is almost unique on the Formula 1 calendar. The Malaysian circuit surface is extremely abrasive, even more so than Barcelona. That affects not only the way the tyres are used but also the aerodynamic behaviour of the cars and the way the floor operates so close to the ground, even with single-seaters that no longer rely on traditional ground-effect regulations. As had also been highlighted with Mercedes earlier in the weekend, the result is that the cars are forced to operate in an unusual window.
The combination of Sepang’s abrasive surface and tyre behaviour was already expected to be one of the defining technical factors of the weekend, with the Pirelli compounds at Sepang presenting a very different challenge from Baku: “In Malaysia there are certain conditions, including ones linked to the asphalt, that make the car behave strangely. And not only from a tyre point of view. I think we will have to look at the car, the upgrades and the relative competitiveness in Singapore. Then we will tackle the final races. In fact, there is still something coming for the last Grands Prix. So hopefully we can make another step forward and get back into a position where we can fight for podiums,” Andrea Stella added.
Is McLaren’s problem linked to development?
One point already highlighted by Max Verstappen on Saturday concerned Red Bull’s effectiveness in Malaysia. Part of its performance could be attributed to specific strengths of the package, with some of the same qualities already seen in Baku reappearing at Sepang. At the same time, Red Bull’s engineers appeared to understand very quickly how to make the tyres work.
Even allowing for that, the RB22 performed well in every condition, including when track temperatures dropped by around 20 degrees, suggesting the issue needs to be considered from a broader perspective.
According to Andrea Stella, the MCL40 operated within the correct window at both Baku and Sepang, from both an aerodynamic and mechanical point of view. That means the explanation for McLaren’s unusual step backwards in Malaysia may have to be found elsewhere: “For the conditions we had in Malaysia and Baku, it’s not as though, with hindsight, we look back and think we should have used a different set-up. We reviewed the data and we think the car worked where it was supposed to work in order to extract the downforce and mechanical grip. If anything, it is more a question of the car’s potential.”
“And in reality, we have increased the potential of the car with the upgrades. The information we have tells us that this is the case. It is more the competitiveness on track that suggests we seem to have lost a little ground compared with the others.”
Andrea Stella puzzled as MCL40 loses its high-speed benchmark
Andrea Stella’s feeling is that McLaren’s rivals may have made a more substantial step forward with their recent upgrades. Development has traditionally been one of the Woking team’s major strengths over recent seasons, and that pattern initially appeared to have continued in 2026, particularly with the package introduced in Budapest that brought the MCL40 back into contention for victories.
Those upgrades had made the car even stronger through high-speed corners, to the point that McLaren had become the benchmark around the summer break. That is why Andrea Stella admitted after qualifying that he was somewhat puzzled by the fact that the MCL40 was no longer the reference through the fast corners in Malaysia. Ferrari had instead reclaimed that position.
Red Bull has clearly taken a step forward with its latest package. Ferrari, on the other hand, has not recently introduced any major upgrades while waiting for Austin, aside from its power unit work. It would therefore be both curious and impressive if the Maranello engineers had managed to find further tenths simply by understanding the SF-26 better, particularly given that Ferrari’s deficit on the straights remains evident. More analysis of that side of the car can be found in the Ferrari technical analysis section: “In Hungary we brought upgrades and we were in a position to take pole, both there and at Zandvoort. Then in Madrid we were practically in a position to take pole and win without the Virtual Safety Car. And very quickly, as we introduced further upgrades, the picture changed,” Andrea Stella added.
McLaren data shows no anomaly with recent MCL40 upgrades
McLaren actually introduced another major upgrade package at Baku, but the team has not identified anything abnormal in its data.
“I think we need to analyse our development. We don’t see any anomalies in the data. But we have to recognise that, potentially, some competitors have developed their cars better. Then here in Malaysia the conditions are very particular. So I think we should give ourselves a little more time.”
Like Baku, Singapore will feature the type of low-speed corners that have proved particularly difficult for the MCL40 during the season, Madrid being something of an exception. At least at Marina Bay, however, the cars will run in maximum-downforce configuration.
Getting the front tyres up to temperature will not be straightforward, but the fact that Singapore contains several similar types of corner should make it easier to find a compromise. The next race may therefore not provide every answer McLaren is looking for, but, as with Mercedes, it should add another important piece to the puzzle as the team tries to understand whether Sepang was simply an unusual weekend or evidence that its rivals have taken a more significant development step.
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