McLaren acknowledges that it is several months behind its competitors.
" We are currently heading in a new direction."
McLaren has acknowledged that it is still dealing with the repercussions of last year’s championship-winning season, with team principal Andrea Stella estimating that the current world champions are approximately two to three months behind Mercedes and Ferrari in the development of their 2026 car. The team based in Woking has faced challenges in keeping up with the front-runners under the new regulations, even after securing both world championships in 2025.
Stella attributes this lag partially to McLaren's decision to continue refining its 2025 car late into last season in order to clinch those titles. "During the development process, we pursued some conceptual paths that we now need to revise as we better comprehend the new regulations," Stella told Auto Motor und Sport. "We are currently steering in a new direction."
The Italian estimates that these necessary adjustments have put McLaren about two to three months behind the leading competitors. The team is hopeful to start closing the gap at Spa this weekend with a new rear wing, although the more ambitious ‘Macarena’ concept has been postponed again.
"Our preparation has been thorough, and we have conducted extensive simulations to prepare for what we anticipate will be a highly challenging weekend regarding energy management," stated Neil Houldey, technical director of applied engineering. "We’re going to Spa with a new rear wing assembly, an upgrade we had intended to integrate into the car’s development."
However, McLaren does not expect an immediate improvement. "We are optimistic that this upgrade will add some performance to our car, but we are fully aware that, following a tough British GP—particularly in terms of raw performance—this race won’t be straightforward, so we do not anticipate any significant shifts in competitiveness," he added. The Belgian GP will also see the debut of McLaren’s latest Mercedes engine specification, following the team's public questioning at Silverstone regarding why it had not yet received the upgraded unit already adopted by the factory Mercedes team.
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