(Motorsport-Total.com) – After McLaren won both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships in Formula 1 last year, the team from Woking is experiencing a more difficult 2026 season amid new technical regulations, while engine partner Mercedes dominates.
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Shortly before the summer break, the team secured its first pole position and first Grand Prix win of the season in Hungary thanks to Lando Norris. In the ten races before that, McLaren had only achieved four podium finishes.
Formula 1 switched to new engine specifications in 2026 with a power distribution of 53 to 47 between the internal combustion engine and the electric motor, and McLaren had the impression that this area was slowing down the MCL40.
Given the complexity of the new power units, team principal Andrea Stella specifically hinted that being only a customer team was a disadvantage. At the end of June, the Italian stated that McLaren was still losing up to 0.15 seconds per lap on the straights to the Mercedes factory team.
However, there is more behind it than just the status as a customer team. “From the power unit perspective, it was very clear that we still had a lot to learn about how to operate it and handle its complexity,” said Neil Houldey, the technical director for engineering at McLaren.
“Between us and HPP [Mercedes High Performance Powertrains], we had not allocated enough resources for that. So we went into the season knowing there was a big opportunity there,” Houldey explains.
McLaren still lacks performance in the software area
He emphasizes: “We knew these rules would be a challenge from an energy management perspective, and we had taken measures that we believed would give us a good start.”
“I think both we and HPP could have invested more work in the software ahead of the tests and the first races. That would have put us in a better position with energy management,” admits Houldey.
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“There is still work to be done today, and I believe we are still missing performance in the software area that we have not yet accessed,” he reveals and explains: “Our car differs from the factory car. Therefore, we need specific calibrations for our vehicle that we currently cannot release quickly enough.”
“In summary, I would say that we made some very good progress in the first three to four races. These improvements have continued,” assures Houldey.
“At the same time, we need to take further steps in the upcoming races and with a view to 2027 to extract the last tenth that may be in the power unit but that we currently cannot fully access.”
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What McLaren would do differently with today’s knowledge
A significant difference from the Mercedes powertrain is that McLaren has chosen shorter gear ratios. These provide better acceleration and were described by Stella in May as “overall positive.” However, Houldey holds a different view.
When asked if McLaren would position the gear ratios differently with today’s knowledge, Houldey answers: “I think we would. If we had the chance again, we would bring the gear ratio closer to the level of Mercedes.”
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“The shorter gear ratios offer some performance opportunities that we can use. In corners, we shift down to lower gears less frequently, possibly also during restarts and similar situations.”
“If you have lower gear ratios, that offers a performance opportunity at starts. However, looking at the high-speed range, you would probably choose what the other teams have,” explains Houldey.
“So there are compromises in both directions. But here too, it is only about small time gains per lap. All these small time gains add up to a quite considerable lap performance,” he emphasizes.
New challenges in the 2027 season
Houldey also recalls: “The power unit will be changed next year, and possibly the speed of the cars will also change. The aerodynamic rules obviously aim to reduce downforce somewhat. We are currently working on determining the ideal gear ratios.”
“At the moment, however, we do not yet have a lot of data. Hopefully, this data and information will soon provide a clearer picture so that we can make a decision about the gear ratios, which will probably lead to a somewhat longer gear ratio.”
“But we do not know what the factory team will do. HPP will only know its final power curve at a yet undetermined time – and that will be well after our decision on the gear ratios,” explains Houldey.
“I think that with the information we had at the time, we made a good decision. With the information we have today, the decision might be somewhat different. But we are talking about milliseconds, not tenths of a second.”
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