2026 McLaren Mastercard F1 Team

[mwillems]

Who is interested in Melbourne, F1 have announced where the straight mode and overtake detection will be for the Season Opening Australian GP:

• • FIVE Straight Mode zones- Turn 14-1, Turn 2-3, Turn 5-6, Turn 8-9 , Turn 10-11
  • Overtake detection point - Turn 14

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HCFcPANWYAE ... name=large

But see you all in 2027.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HB8rlhAaMAE ... ame=medium

As predicted lol

Someone mentioned Sky said teams wouldn't use Max wings, I fully expect to see some heavy downforce, given that there will be almost no straight line penalty.

They've set it up so they only have to announce shortly before the event, so they will play with this based on how the racing pans out.

[_cerber1]

Andrea Stella: “We will bring some small aerodynamic updates to Melbourne and continue to work on important issues such as the car's weight”

[mwillems]

Likely some low hanging fruit.

[FittingMechanics]

Being overweight with a weaker engine and still looking firmly in Big 4. Not a bad spot to be.

About Etihad, we may see McLaren Dreamliner flyover before Abu Dhabi.

[mwillems]

Everyone might be overweight.

But in reality I reckon they are just trying to hold off on building aero parts until they have a strong package to build, with plenty of learning for theirs and others cars.

The weight reduction won't require tunnel or CFD.

[Jaymz]

Yeah no worries. Automotive was going down the pan, so CYVN bought some of racing after the event, likely for this very reason, and I expect this was all agreed some time ago. Pretty exciting for the brand, I think.

These guys love their racing and aren't afraid to splash out, which is very handy.

[the EDGE]

Who is interested in Melbourne, F1 have announced where the straight mode and overtake detection will be for the Season Opening Australian GP:

• • FIVE Straight Mode zones- Turn 14-1, Turn 2-3, Turn 5-6, Turn 8-9 , Turn 10-11
  • Overtake detection point - Turn 14

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HCFcPANWYAE ... name=large

But see you all in 2027.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HB8rlhAaMAE ... ame=medium

As predicted lol

Someone mentioned Sky said teams wouldn't use Max wings, I fully expect to see some heavy downforce, given that there will be almost no straight line penalty.

They've set it up so they only have to announce shortly before the event, so they will play with this based on how the racing pans out.

The rules state teams have to be notified 4 weeks prior to the event

[mwillems]

Yeah, the FIA will adjust the number of zones based on what gets good racing as the season and cars progress

When this formula develops they can slow the cars down by removing aero zones, and forcing more wing compromises.
Given the concerns over lap times and speed, I always felt they'd max the Aero Zones at the start of the season.

[SilviuAgo]

Andrea Stella: “We will bring some small aerodynamic updates to Melbourne and continue to work on important issues such as the car's weight”

weight + PU = undeerstanding the car.

andrea: “mclaren will start the season on the defensive to then play on the counterattack. ferrari & mercedes seem ahead, we'll find out how much next week. the melbourne car will be the same with only small aero updates, we want to progressively go under the weight limit and understand the PU”

[mwillems]

Andrea Stella: “We will bring some small aerodynamic updates to Melbourne and continue to work on important issues such as the car's weight”

weight + PU = undeerstanding the car.

andrea: “mclaren will start the season on the defensive to then play on the counterattack. ferrari & mercedes seem ahead, we'll find out how much next week. the melbourne car will be the same with only small aero updates, we want to progressively go under the weight limit and understand the PU”

Cars are sliding in general anyway, and behaving more like they would if they are on low grip tracks.

Will Oscar struggle this year?

[Macklaren]

Will Oscar struggle this year?

This is a valid Q and I think the answer is yes. Whether he can overcome this will determine whether he is WDC material or not

[geogate]

yeah i would be shocked if any of the cars actually hit min weight yet. i really have no idea how the top 4 sit, except for who is in the top 4. Ferrari did look strong, but it did also look like ferrari were pushing a bit harder than the mercedes cars. I expect Red Bulls excellent trackside engineering to bring them into contention more that seemed at first sight. I dont know. I guess thats a good thing, right. My hope for this season is some wins - im not greedy.

[fourmula1]

Andrea Stella: “We will bring some small aerodynamic updates to Melbourne and continue to work on important issues such as the car's weight”

weight + PU = undeerstanding the car.

andrea: “mclaren will start the season on the defensive to then play on the counterattack. ferrari & mercedes seem ahead, we'll find out how much next week. the melbourne car will be the same with only small aero updates, we want to progressively go under the weight limit and understand the PU”

Cars are sliding in general anyway, and behaving more like they would if they are on low grip tracks.

Will Oscar struggle this year?

Maybe in regards to tire life, but not the speed - I would not be surprised if the young kids are the fastest in this formula. They are closer to the days of a car really moving like karting and all the other categories. I'm interested to see kimi vs rus this year.

[mwillems]

It's the low grip tracks with sliding that finished off his championship chances last year.

Less downforce, smaller rears mean sliding, but he's also a driver who likes to utilise rears and prioritises exit over entry.

It'll be interesting to see how he gets on this year.

[edu2703]

From what I heard, McLaren and Mercedes were going to do a Pirelli wet weather test today in Bahrain, but it was cancelled due to missile attacks.