(Motorsport-Total.com) – In the 2025 Formula 1 season, McLaren won five of the first six races. According to team principal Andrea Stella, however, one should not expect a comparable start a year later. Because in his opinion, McLaren is currently not at the top of the field.
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“I would say this test has confirmed that Ferrari and Mercedes are the teams to beat,” Stella said at the end of the Formula 1 winter testing in Bahrain. And even with a few days’ distance, this opinion has not changed.
According to Stella, the championship battle will again be decided between the four top teams in 2026, namely between Red Bull, McLaren, and indeed Ferrari and Mercedes. “Within this top group, in our opinion, Ferrari and Mercedes are a step ahead,” Stella confirms his earlier statement once again.
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At the same time, however, he makes it clear that it is “difficult” to “quantify the gap exactly” because one can never say with certainty how much the rivals had already shown during the test drives. He emphasizes that they are “satisfied” with their own MCL40.
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But the opponents have also done a good job over the winter. For Stella, it is therefore clear: “We have to work hard to catch up and continue to develop the car as quickly as possible. As soon as the cards are on the table, development will become the biggest challenge.”
“To use a football metaphor: In the first half of the season, we will play more defensively and try to use counterattacks,” said the team principal. This means: McLaren sees itself in the role of the pursuer and will try to exploit mistakes by the teams Stella considers favorites.
There will not be a major update package for the MCL40 at the season opener in Melbourne for now. Stella emphasizes: “It will essentially be the same [car]. We will make some minor aerodynamic improvements and continue to work on key aspects such as the weight of the car.”
In addition, he hopes for further progress with the engine in order to be able to make optimal use of the new power unit in the future. “The quality of integration between driver, engineers, and the car will become increasingly important,” Stella explains.
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The 2026 Formula 1 season begins on March 8 with the Australian Grand Prix.