Mar.23 (GMM) McLaren’s difficult start to the 2026 season is down to a combination of car performance and power unit execution, according to team boss Andrea Stella.
The reigning world champion team has endured its worst start in years, scoring just 18 points from the opening rounds and already trailing Mercedes by around 80 points in the constructors’ standings.
While reliability issues – including multiple pre-race and race retirements – have hurt the team, Stella insists the problems run deeper than insufficient information from engine supplier Mercedes.
“In Australia, 50 percent of the deficit was due to poorer use of the power unit. The other 50 percent was due to cornering performance,” he said, according to Auto Motor und Sport.
Although McLaren runs customer Mercedes engines, the works team is currently extracting more performance from the same hardware.
“The power units are very complex,” Stella explained.
“You can see in the GPS comparisons that even small differences can have a big impact.”
He says McLaren has already intensified its collaboration with Mercedes in a bid to close the gap.
“We were already able to get more out of the power unit in Shanghai than we did in Melbourne,” Stella said.
“However, there is still potential for improvement.”
But the issues are not limited to the engine.
The team’s aggressive car concept – including one of the shortest wheelbases on the grid – appears to be contributing to instability and balance problems, particularly in high-speed corners.
That, in turn, is affecting energy recovery and overall performance under the new regulations.
“In Shanghai, we were able to reduce the power unit gap somewhat,” Stella said.
“But it’s still just as big in the corners.”
There are also indications the car may be carrying excess weight, further complicating setup and performance.
Despite the difficult start, Stella insists the underlying package is sound.
“The foundation is there,” he said, while admitting improvements are needed “everywhere”.
A major upgrade package is planned for Miami, with no immediate breakthrough expected at Suzuka.
Still, Stella remains cautiously optimistic.
“We’ll have to wait and see how quickly the others develop,” he said.
“I hope it goes like 2023, when we were able to make more progress over the course of the year than our competitors.”
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