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McLaren to continue car upgrades late in season

McLaren has confirmed it will continue developing its MCL40 through the final stages of the 2026 Formula 1 season. While most competitors have shifted their focus toward 2027 car designs, team principal Andrea Stella noted that further upgrades are planned for the upcoming races in Brazil and Las Vegas. The decision follows a difficult period for the team, including a lack of podium finishes in the four races since the Madrid Grand Prix. Lando Norris expressed significant frustration with the car's handling, describing it as the most difficult vehicle he has ever driven. He specifically highlighted a loss of nearly three-tenths of a second per lap in slow-speed corners during the United States Grand Prix. For the upcoming Mexico City Grand Prix, the team will run an essentially unchanged car following recent aerodynamic changes in Austin. The technical focus remains on improving competitiveness in low-speed sections to help the drivers fight for podium positions and victories. The team aims to extract maximum performance from the current chassis before the season concludes.

· Sky Sports

The essential points

  1. 01McLaren will introduce new technical upgrades during the Brazil and Las Vegas Grands Prix to improve performance.
  2. 02Lando Norris reported significant handling issues in slow-speed corners, losing substantial lap time during the Austin race.
  3. 03The team is deviating from the industry trend of pausing current car development to focus on 2027 models.
  4. 04The MCL40 will remain largely unchanged for the Mexico City Grand Prix following recent front and rear corner updates.
The full brief

McLaren has confirmed it will continue developing its MCL40 through the final stages of the 2026 Formula 1 season. While most competitors have shifted their focus toward 2027 car designs, team principal Andrea Stella noted that further upgrades are planned for the upcoming races in Brazil and Las Vegas.

The decision follows a difficult period for the team, including a lack of podium finishes in the four races since the Madrid Grand Prix. Lando Norris expressed significant frustration with the car's handling, describing it as the most difficult vehicle he has ever driven. He specifically highlighted a loss of nearly three-tenths of a second per lap in slow-speed corners during the United States Grand Prix.

For the upcoming Mexico City Grand Prix, the team will run an essentially unchanged car following recent aerodynamic changes in Austin. The technical focus remains on improving competitiveness in low-speed sections to help the drivers fight for podium positions and victories. The team aims to extract maximum performance from the current chassis before the season concludes.