Stella acknowledges the '50-50' issue as McLaren faces difficulties.

      According to team principal Andrea Stella, McLaren's challenging beginning to the 2026 season stems from a mix of vehicle performance and power unit execution. The reigning world champion team has experienced its poorest start in years, with only 18 points from the initial races and currently trailing Mercedes by about 80 points in the constructors' rankings. Although reliability problems, including several pre-race and race retirements, have impacted the team, Stella asserts that the issues go beyond just inadequate information from engine supplier Mercedes.

      "In Australia, 50 percent of the deficit was due to suboptimal use of the power unit. The other 50 percent came from cornering performance," he stated, as reported by Auto Motor und Sport. Despite using customer Mercedes engines, the works team is presently extracting more performance from the same equipment. "The power units are highly intricate," Stella noted. "You can observe in the GPS comparisons that even minor variations can significantly influence performance."

      He mentioned that McLaren has already strengthened its collaboration with Mercedes to bridge the gap. "We managed to extract more performance from the power unit in Shanghai than we did in Melbourne," Stella remarked. "However, there is still room for enhancement." The issues extend beyond just the engine, as the team's bold car design—featuring one of the shortest wheelbases on the grid—seems to be resulting in instability and balance challenges, especially during high-speed corners. This, in turn, affects energy recovery and overall performance under the new regulations.

      "In Shanghai, we managed to lessen the power unit gap somewhat," Stella explained. "But it remains just as significant in the corners." There are also signs that the car may be carrying extra weight, complicating setup and performance even further. Despite this tough start, Stella believes the fundamental package is solid. "The foundation is there," he said, while acknowledging that improvements are necessary "in all areas."

      A significant upgrade package is anticipated for Miami, with no immediate breakthrough expected at Suzuka. Still, Stella maintains a cautiously optimistic outlook. "We'll have to see how swiftly the others develop," he stated. "I hope it mirrors 2023, when we managed to progress more throughout the year than our rivals."