McLaren Admits Paying 'Heavy Price' in 2026 for 2025 F1 Success

McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella has candidly admitted that the team has paid “a heavy price” in Formula 1 this season as a direct consequence of their intense championship battle in 2025.

The Woking-based squad rose from midfield obscurity to back-to-back titles under the ground effects era, clinching both drivers’ and constructors’ crowns in 2024 and 2025. Last year, Max Verstappen pushed them to the limit, but McLaren held on, with Lando Norris securing his maiden title.

However, under the sweeping 2026 regulation changes, McLaren has been left trailing behind Mercedes and Ferrari, who have dominated the win column until Hungary. The MCL40 has been plagued by reliability gremlins and a lack of raw pace compared to the frontrunners. Stella concedes that the team’s laser focus on developing the MCL39 last season meant they had to sacrifice performance this year.

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At the Hungaroring, though, McLaren’s upgrade package finally clicked into place. Norris stormed to pole and claimed his first win of the season, fending off the Mercedes and Ferrari challenges. Stella insists the turnaround wasn’t down to a single silver bullet but a gradual process of identifying and attacking the MCL40’s weaknesses.

“There wasn’t a single event that changed course; rather, it was a growing awareness of the scale of the challenge we’re facing and the adjustments we needed to make,” Stella reflected in a McLaren Q&A. “Paradoxically, the enforced break in April probably allowed us to focus entirely on analysing the MCL40’s performance and to fully understand that we needed to redirect or strengthen its development in certain areas of the car.”

Stella also revealed that Oscar Piastri and Norris have struggled to adapt to the new Mercedes power unit. While understanding has improved, he expects optimising the PU will remain a “complex issue” throughout the 2026 season.

“Furthermore, over the past few months we’ve had the opportunity to deepen our understanding of the new power unit supplied by Mercedes HPP and to work with our technical partners to work out how best to utilise it. It’s been a long process, with its ups and downs, but one that’s starting to bear fruit,” Stella added.

Next up for McLaren is the Dutch GP at Zandvoort, where Piastri took a memorable win over home hero Verstappen last year. Can they carry their momentum forward?