What does McLaren expect from the fierce development battle in 2026?
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella left the Canadian Grand Prix with a clear message about the state of the 2026 Formula One season: the development race will define the championship — and right now, Mercedes hold the fastest car.
Speaking after a weekend in which McLaren introduced the final elements of its first major upgrade cycle, Stella offered a detailed assessment of both McLaren’s progress and the competitive landscape, while emphasising that the season is still in its early stages.
He began by outlining McLaren’s upgrade plan and the encouraging signs from the first major package introduced in Miami. “The first big round of upgrades, it was already planned to be brought to Miami, and in Canada we had a few more things, like a front wing, bodywork, and this completes this first round.”
Stella confirmed that the team is satisfied with the initial performance of the new components. “We are happy with what we saw in Miami in terms of the data that we measured, and also the impact that it had on our competitiveness. It was a significant upgrade, so there’s some more work to do in terms of review, but so far, we are happy.”
However, he cautioned that the true competitive effect of these developments will take time to understand. “And I think it will take a few races to understand how much this is affecting the pecking order.”
Stella then shifted to the broader context of the season, stressing that the championship remains long and fluid. “First of all, I see the season being very long. We have done just five events. There’s at least 17 to go. It will always be a battle of development. That’s what everyone said heading into this 2026 season.”
Within that battle, Stella believes one team currently stands above the rest. “I think so far, Mercedes are in a solid leadership I think in Miami, even when they were not leading, like in the Sprint Quali or in the Sprint, this was more to do with their under-optimisation rather than the potential not being there.
He added that race specific variables also played a role. “Or if we look at the Sprint or the race, we see the impact of the starts, for instance.”
But I think there’s no doubt that they have a faster car than all the others.”
Behind Mercedes, he sees a tightly matched group of contenders — a dynamic he believes is healthy for the sport. “And behind Mercedes, I think it’s quite interesting to see how competitive the field is. I think it’s good for Formula 1 to see McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull, everyone close to each other."
Still, Stella made no secret of McLaren’s ambition. “Obviously, we would like to try and find some performance and see if we can set the challenge to Mercedes.”
