2026 McLaren Mastercard F1 Team

[FittingMechanics]

McLaren has upper hand both strategy wise and tire wise but who knows what happens in the race. Hamilton starting further back is also a positive as he looked to be faster of the two Ferraris.

[_cerber1]

Fire Piastri and sign Verstappen. If this team have any common sense and serious about business, they should do that.

No, we don’t need him, let him stay in the team that he and his dad destroyed.

[CjC]

Piastri was impeded by Hamilton on his last flying lap. For all we know Oscar may have been on pole.

[FittingMechanics]

Piastri was impeded by Hamilton on his last flying lap. For all we know Oscar may have been on pole.

Yeah, I think Piastri could easily get 2-3 tenths on his last run and line up in P3 (before HAM penalty). Didn't think it was a bad weekend by him especially as he missed out on FP1 and his car was used to compare old parts to the new parts.

Hopefully he can stay glued to the ANT/LEC tomorrow and give strategic options to McLaren.

[SilviuAgo]

Fire Piastri and sign Verstappen. If this team have any common sense and serious about business, they should do that.

No, we don’t need him, let him stay in the team that he and his dad destroyed.

Amazing job by Lando, as I expected Super happy for him and for his performance. Or maybe for his and his crew performance. Cause maybe is only me, but more and more there is a guy at McLaren that I increasingly don't like.
And a little context, Fred Vasseur and Lewis were making sure the first thing they do is congratulate Lando for his pole while stella just goes “it’s a bit of a surprise”. This kills me so bad. But he didn't forget to underline how difficult was for Oscar missing FP1.

Lando was top3 in FP2, P1 in FP3 and P1 in quali Q1, Q2 and Q3 and stella is like Alonso is on pole.



So imo if Max is coming to McLaren, considering also the two months ago rumors, Stella will also leave, and GP will be TP.

And this post brought me a smile. Nice club for Lando.

[SilviuAgo]

And for our data analysts colleagues, an amazing visual representation from TrackSims:

[billamend]

So imo if Max is coming to McLaren, considering also the two months ago rumors, Stella will also leave, and GP will be TP.

He should leave to become Oscars manager…

[geogate]

oh i goofed up... it is 3 place penalty for next Sprint/Race he coompetes in

[SilviuAgo]

oh i goofed up... it is 3 place penalty for next Sprint/Race he coompetes in

And the next Race is tomorrow

[E8404424]

Fire Piastri and sign Verstappen. If this team have any common sense and serious about business, they should do that.

No, we don’t need him, let him stay in the team that he and his dad destroyed.

Amazing job by Lando, as I expected Super happy for him and for his performance. Or maybe for his and his crew performance. Cause maybe is only me, but more and more there is a guy at McLaren that I increasingly don't like.
And a little context, Fred Vasseur and Lewis were making sure the first thing they do is congratulate Lando for his pole while stella just goes “it’s a bit of a surprise”. This kills me so bad. But he didn't forget to underline how difficult was for Oscar missing FP1.

Lando was top3 in FP2, P1 in FP3 and P1 in quali Q1, Q2 and Q3 and stella is like Alonso is on pole.



So imo if Max is coming to McLaren, considering also the two months ago rumors, Stella will also leave, and GP will be TP.

And this post brought me a smile. Nice club for Lando.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HOFY-_wWMAA ... name=large

Stella forgets that Lando missed FP1 in Barcelona and still outqualified Oscar. So that's not even close to an excuse. Oscar has been behind all weekend and there is no way that he is making up the three or four tenths he was behind Lando on a last run on a track where no one else is improving. Oscar has been beaten over the last three years and is behind this year too, and we are heading to the part of the season where his Championship challenge imploded last year. And yet, he keeps getting contract extensions as a joint Number One while Lando clinched the Constructors with a win at Abu Dhabi in 2024, when it was win or bust, and then won the Drivers last year. No extension for him, McLaren's first World Drivers Champion since 2008.

Stella isn't even hiding it anymore. He just cant bring himself to congratulate Lando. There is a whole history of him making sure the focus is on Oscar. The strategy in Spa being the latest. There's the statement that "Oscar is the future" at Monza right after Oscar gifted Charles a home win because he was too busy fighting his team mate to the detriment of the entire team. When Lando won the sprint in Miami this year Stella said that whoever was on pole would have won that race. Then there's the smirk, caught on camera, when Lando retired at Zandvoort last year. The statement, right after Lando became Champion, that Oscar would be a multiple Champion, and this was right after Oscar blew a 100 point lead to Max, in half a season, to come third. Oscar came third last year in a two horse race and Stella's going "No, Oscar is better". The punishment Lando got for racing poor little Oscar a bit too hard in Singapore came from Stella (Oscar wasn't bothered about being "team like" when he almost pushed Lando off at Monza helping Charles to win), this was followed by Oscar getting nothing for taking out both cars at COTA in the sprint. Stella's approach was to remove Lando's punishment, which helpfully aided Oscar by giving him priority on when to go out in Qualy etc etc, instead of punishing Oscar. Apparently a wheel tap is worse than taking yourself, and your team mate, out.

I am starting to see why Lando jumped to taking the blame at Canada last year, he was getting in there first before Stella made sure he did. Look what happened in Singapore after Oscar spent lap after lap whining about a bit of hard racing. Lando knows the script.

I think GP is being hired to be Team Principal. Stella is not a TP. He is a great guy in the factory, apparently a great motivator, but his Piastri man crush at then track, making excuses for his favourite, is embarrassing when the guy on the other side of the garage is taking home more poles, wins, and titles.

You can take the man out of Ferrari, but you'll never take Ferrari out of the man.

[FNTC]

So Oscar P4

[SilviuAgo]

Oscar, although Stella is trying to find excuses, drove also very well. And looking at the teammate gap, you may say that is worse only vs Aston Martin pair, but in fact Oscar lost it in the end. When the rears are gone, are gone. Still Lando has an edge when it come to tires workout.

[CjC]

So Oscar P4

We need to see the out come of Kimis 2 separate summons first….

[SilviuAgo]

Stella forgets that Lando missed FP1 in Barcelona and still outqualified Oscar. So that's not even close to an excuse. Oscar has been behind all weekend and there is no way that he is making up the three or four tenths he was behind Lando on a last run on a track where no one else is improving. Oscar has been beaten over the last three years and is behind this year too, and we are heading to the part of the season where his Championship challenge imploded last year. And yet, he keeps getting contract extensions as a joint Number One while Lando clinched the Constructors with a win at Abu Dhabi in 2024, when it was win or bust, and then won the Drivers last year. No extension for him, McLaren's first World Drivers Champion since 2008.

Stella isn't even hiding it anymore. He just cant bring himself to congratulate Lando. There is a whole history of him making sure the focus is on Oscar. The strategy in Spa being the latest. There's the statement that "Oscar is the future" at Monza right after Oscar gifted Charles a home win because he was too busy fighting his team mate to the detriment of the entire team. When Lando won the sprint in Miami this year Stella said that whoever was on pole would have won that race. Then there's the smirk, caught on camera, when Lando retired at Zandvoort last year. The statement, right after Lando became Champion, that Oscar would be a multiple Champion, and this was right after Oscar blew a 100 point lead to Max, in half a season, to come third. Oscar came third last year in a two horse race and Stella's going "No, Oscar is better". The punishment Lando got for racing poor little Oscar a bit too hard in Singapore came from Stella (Oscar wasn't bothered about being "team like" when he almost pushed Lando off at Monza helping Charles to win), this was followed by Oscar getting nothing for taking out both cars at COTA in the sprint. Stella's approach was to remove Lando's punishment, which helpfully aided Oscar by giving him priority on when to go out in Qualy etc etc, instead of punishing Oscar. Apparently a wheel tap is worse than taking yourself, and your team mate, out.

I am starting to see why Lando jumped to taking the blame at Canada last year, he was getting in there first before Stella made sure he did. Look what happened in Singapore after Oscar spent lap after lap whining about a bit of hard racing. Lando knows the script.

I think GP is being hired to be Team Principal. Stella is not a TP. He is a great guy in the factory, apparently a great motivator, but his Piastri man crush at then track, making excuses for his favourite, is embarrassing when the guy on the other side of the garage is taking home more poles, wins, and titles.

You can take the man out of Ferrari, but you'll never take Ferrari out of the man.

Tks mate for this summary. Tons of posts were made about this topic and I thought that 2026 will be a new start for everything McLaren Formula 1 means (Oscar, Zak, Lando, Stella, Webber etc. etc.). But everyone is pulling strings that serve his interests best .

I am and I will always be a McLaren fan. For me is The Team. Always! Over a TP, CEO or driver. What I wanted as a driver is that my boss, my TP, to say "well done dude, you are on pole, amazing job!". And maybe behind the curtains to say "Jezz...this was set for Ferrari, but you did it. Was a surprise also for us". Unfortunately, Stella is too focused to look on the other half of the garage. And as I said many many times, Oscar doesn't need this.

as an example:


So let's enjoy this pole, and as someone said, is feeling like 2024 I hope to have a good race tomorrow and, even if the gap is not closed yet, to be on a positive trend and to win races this year.