McLaren has delivered a bullish intention for the second half of the Formula 1 season, stating “we have a duty” to win more races when the sport heads to Zandvoort.
McLaren ended its 2026 victory drought with a dominant victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix, as upgrades to the MCL40 transformed its performance.
It was Lando Norris’ first win as reigning world champion, the car showing poise, with Oscar Piastri leading for most of the race before his retirement due to gearbox failure.
The early races were hallmarked by poor reliability and pace, which has left McLaren cut adrift in the standings, currently sitting third, 159 points away from leaders Mercedes.
Confirming McLaren’s stance for the rest of the season after the upgrade package that revitalised its season, Team Principal Andrea Stella said work would continue on the MCL40.
“That’s a difficult question, but there’s a very clear answer,” he said.
“If we can continue the season as we did in Budapest, I think we can still achieve a great deal.
“To do so, we must keep pushing with the development of the MCL40 and ensure we outpace our rivals – who certainly aren’t standing still – in this race within the race, which is the competition over updates.”
McLaren pushing until the end of the year?
Stella then delivered his bullish intentions for the rest of 2026, confirming that McLaren will continue to push for wins, going as far as to say the team “had a duty” to fill up its new trophy cabinet installed at its Woking HQ.
“The result will depend on how effective the solutions we bring to the track prove to be,” he said.
“In the first part of the season, we struggled more than we expected in this regard too, but I believe that in recent years, once we’ve gained some momentum, we’ve been able to maintain it.”
“There are still 12 races left on the calendar, so there are plenty of opportunities given that 546 points are up for grabs,” Stella pointed out.
“Of course, the gap in both championships is significant, but we remember last year’s lesson well: after all, I always tell the team that if we’ve set up a new display cabinet to house the new, recent trophies at the McLaren Technology Centre, then we have a duty to do our utmost to keep filling it…”
McLaren’s stance is understandable as it seeks to mount what could become an unexpected title defence following its nadir at the start of the season.
While mathematically possible, only consistency and better reliability will deliver a third consecutive Constructors’ title to Woking.
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