McLaren acknowledges that it is several months lagging behind its competitors.
"We are now headed in a new direction."
McLaren has acknowledged that it is still feeling the effects of last year’s championship-winning season, with team principal Andrea Stella estimating that the current world champions are lagging two to three months behind Mercedes and Ferrari in the development of their 2026 car. The team, based in Woking, has found it challenging to keep up with the leading teams under the new regulations, despite clinching both world titles in 2025. Stella notes that the delay partly results from McLaren’s focus on developing its 2025 car late into the previous season to secure those championships.
"During development, we pursued some conceptual paths that we now need to adjust as we gain a clearer understanding of the new regulations," Stella explained to Auto Motor und Sport. "We are now headed in a new direction." The Italian estimates that making these adjustments has put McLaren behind the frontrunners by about two to three months.
The team aims to start closing the gap at Spa this weekend with a new rear wing, although the more innovative 'Macarena' concept has been postponed once again. "Our preparation has been thorough, and we have conducted extensive simulation work to stay ahead of what we know will be a demanding weekend in terms of energy management," stated Neil Houldey, the technical director of applied engineering. "We're arriving at Spa with a new rear wing assembly, an upgrade we had scheduled as part of the car’s development process."
However, McLaren does not anticipate an immediate turnaround. "We are optimistic that this upgrade will add some performance to our car, but we recognize that after a challenging British GP—particularly regarding pure performance—this race will also not be straightforward, so we do not expect significant changes in our competitiveness," he added. The Belgian GP will also see the introduction of McLaren’s latest Mercedes engine specification after the team raised concerns at Silverstone about not yet receiving the upgraded unit already in use by the factory Mercedes team.
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