As Lando Norris celebrated his second consecutive victory at the Dutch Grand Prix, the atmosphere in the Zandvoort paddock was not just about euphoria. Behind the scenes, a new cold war emerged: McLaren openly questioned Mercedes' claim that they lack the funds to develop their car this season.
It all started with Toto Wolff's surprising statement after the race at Zandvoort. The Mercedes boss admitted his team "doesn't have the money" to bring upgrades as aggressively as their rivals. Meanwhile, Ferrari and McLaren continue to bring new packages at every round, while Red Bull has also shifted focus to their 2026 car.
Mercedes last brought a major upgrade at the Canadian Grand Prix in May. The next package is scheduled for the Bahrain Grand Prix in early October. This situation has seen the team that won the first six races of the season manage only two victories in the last six events.
Wolff argued that the team has to spread resources evenly across the season based on calculations of when it is best to bring upgrades. "We just can do what we can do. It's a development race. If you bring an upgrade, each of the top teams will have a couple of 10ths in it, at least. And that's what you lose," he said.
However, Andrea Stella, McLaren's team principal, is not convinced. "I would like to believe you, but I actually don't believe you. I don't believe it, because thanks to the 2027 power unit regulations, all teams will have an allowance in their reporting for the cost-cap," Stella said, as reported by Crash.net.
Stella is confident Mercedes will soon "cash in" on their development potential. "I'm sure the car in the windtunnel is quite a bit faster than the car they have on track. They will want to now convert some of this potential into upgrades that make it to the real car," he asserted.
Stella's remarks add to the tension at the top of the standings. Norris's back-to-back wins in the Netherlands have reduced his deficit to 83 points from the championship leader. If Mercedes truly has a hidden weapon, the title fight could change dramatically in the coming weeks.
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