– New era, new balance of power? Formula 1 faces an uncertainty ahead of the first Grand Prix of the 2026 season in Melbourne that fans haven’t experienced in a long time. Despite the dominance of the past two years and the status as current world champion, McLaren does not seem to be playing first fiddle at the start of the new regulatory period.
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Team principal Andrea Stella is striking almost humble tones ahead of the season opener in Australia. The Italian currently sees his team lagging behind the competition – but is already planning the tactical response.
After the intensive test drives in Barcelona and Bahrain, an initial picture has emerged, even if Stella emphasizes that it is still a “guessing game”. Mercedes enters the new year as the favorite after impressive race simulations, closely followed by Ferrari, who were ahead in terms of absolute pace.
The competition has done a good job
“Within this leading group, we believe that Ferrari and Mercedes are a step ahead,” Stella admits. How large the gap of the MCL40 actually is, is difficult to quantify: “We will find that out starting next week in Melbourne.”
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The fact that the factory teams in particular currently seem to have the upper hand is no coincidence for the McLaren team principal: “We are aware that some of our main competitors – all of them factory teams – have done an excellent job.”
The football metaphor: First defense, then counter-attack
For McLaren, this means an unfamiliar role. While the team was recently the hunted, it must now become the hunter again. Stella chooses a comparison from the sports stadium for this: “To use a football metaphor: In the first part of the season, we will play a bit defensively and try to play the counter-attack.”
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As soon as the cards are on the table in Melbourne, the speed of development throughout the year will become the all-decisive challenge. “We must work hard to catch up and continue developing the car as quickly as possible,” says Stella.
Reliability as a trump card
Despite the perceived gap to the top, the mood in Woking is anything but down. McLaren looks back on extremely productive test days. With the third and fourth fastest lap times and the fourth highest mileage behind Mercedes, Haas and Ferrari, the MCL40 stands on a solid foundation.
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“We are satisfied,” Stella concludes. “In the nine days in Barcelona and Bahrain, we completed more than 1,000 laps and basically worked through all the points of our program.”
Particularly in focus: The integration of the new power unit from partner HPP (Mercedes). “In terms of reliability, we have made good progress and managed to make the car faster – both in terms of the chassis and the use of the power unit,” explains the team principal. Also, the findings about the new generation of Pirelli tires on the demanding track in Bahrain were “extremely valuable.”
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Whether McLaren’s “counter-attack” lands in Albert Park or whether the factory teams of Mercedes and Ferrari can manage their lead for now remains the most exciting question before the first race start of the new era.
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