– After two wins on the high-downforce tracks of Budapest and Zandvoort, McLaren had to accept a small setback in qualifying for the Formula 1 race in Monza (follow live here in the ticker) – also regarding the vague world championship ambitions of the racing team. Although team principal Andrea Stella still sees himself in the title fight, they are not as competitive in Monza as desired.
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McLaren had expected significantly more than positions three and nine, but Stella does not want to make too much of the gap: “When you consider the entire process – the car setup, the optimization of chassis, driving style, and power unit – then in my opinion we saw in qualifying that we had achieved a relatively competitive position,” he says.
The fact that the big breakthrough did not materialize was primarily attributed by the team principal to shortcomings in operational execution as well as the extreme slipstreaming game on the straights. Under optimal conditions, a placement far at the front would have been realistic, but because Oscar Piastri braked too late when he was supposed to give Lando Norris a slipstream, Norris had no chance for a good result.
“If we had done a better job in execution and control of some parameters that do not depend solely on the pure performance of the car, we could definitely have qualified in the first two rows,” Stella believes.
No car for pole position
For the Papaya team, the current phase of the season is about nothing less than the world championship title. To put pressure on the leaders in the overall standings, merely swimming along in the chasing group is not enough. Stella deliberately sets the bar high for his team and does not shy away from a ruthless investigation of causes.
“From a performance perspective, Monza is basically a ‘half-passed test’ as a test for the MCL40’s capabilities,” the Italian openly admits and immediately places the result in the context of the title fight.
F1: Italian Grand Prix (Monza) 2026
“If we want to relate this to the world championship: To attack fully again in the championship, it is of course not enough to say we were in the field of the first two starting rows. You want to have the performance to say: We have the best car and are now racing for the win. I am not sure if we can claim that here in Monza.”
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The characteristics of the course did not forgive the remaining weaknesses in the area of air resistance. The competition – led by the unleashed Alpine team and Mercedes – ruthlessly exploited the top-speed advantages. “This is a very special track and we see that some competitors were extremely fast,” says Stella.
“But at no point did we show that we clearly have the car that can fight for pole position and is the best car in the field. So we still have some work to do,” is the sobering assessment of the team principal.
Development race as the key to the title
Despite the setbacks on the high-speed sectors, Woking is by no means panicking. Sunday’s race still offers chances for big points due to the expected “yo-yo racing” and strategic uncertainties.
For the rest of the season, Stella demands a noticeable improvement from the R&D department to permanently make up the gap to the top. “We definitely remain in the fight, no matter what happens in Monza,” says the Italian.
“But we have to put more work into developing the car if we want to catch Antonelli and Mercedes in the world championship.”
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