Holdi: We have not yet revealed the potential of the Mercedes engine.

      McLaren Applied Engineering's Technical Director Neil Holdsworth believes that the potential of the Mercedes power unit is still far from being fully utilized by the team...

      Neil Holdsworth: "When it comes to working with the Mercedes power unit, we still have a lot to learn. At the beginning of the season, we understood that it had great potential, and we tried to unlock it step by step, but even now there are areas where we can improve. In terms of software, we are still a bit behind and do not react as flexibly.

      Our chassis is different from Mercedes. It requires different, customized settings. In the upcoming races and with an eye on 2027, we need to take a few more steps to squeeze out the last tenths that are still available in this power unit.

      If we were to create a car for the Mercedes power unit today, we would do some things differently. In particular, we would change the gear ratios. Shorter gears would allow us to better utilize the engine's power in corners, during restarts, and in similar situations.

      Any decision is a set of compromises that can be optimized to improve lap times. Each improvement allows for a small gain, but together they provide a noticeable increase in speed."