McLaren boss Andrea Stella has admitted that the team is “optimistic” that it can win both Formula 1 titles again in 2026, despite a complete reset to the regulations.
Having ended the previous campaign as Constructors’ Champions with the benchmark package, McLaren was regarded as the team to beat coming into this season.
The Woking-based squad delivered on that billing as it registered 12 victories in the opening 18 races en route to securing the championship with six rounds to spare.
And while the call to curtail work on the MCL39 to pivot resources to 2026 allowed Max Verstappen back into contention, Lando Norris sealed a McLaren title double.
However, the impending overhaul to the technical rules will give the other nine sides, along with newcomers Cadillac, a clean slate in their quest to dethrone McLaren.
But Stella is bullish that the personnel and processes that inspired McLaren’s return to the pinnacle will ensure that it continues to be competitive during F1’s next era.
“These achievements, they are obviously the result of the development of the entire team, but for once I would like to make a special mention to the technical team,” Stella told media including Motorsport Week.
“The technical team ultimately conceived, designed, developed a car that from being ninth or 10th best car at the start of 2023, it was one of the best cars at the end of 2023, and then it became gradually the best car, the best car definitely in the first part of 2025.
“If anything, Red Bull gave us an important challenge in the second part of 2025, when we had stopped already the development for some time.
“The technical team at McLaren is particularly strong, we can benefit from the contribution of Peter Prodromou, Rob Marshall, Neil Houldley, Giuseppe Pesce, Mark Temple. I think from this point of view, this is one of the strongest technical department that I could have been part in my career, 26 years in Formula 1.
“And this means that while the specifics of the current regulations will not necessarily apply on to the future, the working way, the standards, the approach to the development of the car, to the objectives from a technical point of view, they do carry into the future. And this makes us optimistic for the 2026 season.”
McLaren not underestimating challenges in 2026
McLaren CEO Zak Brown, whose decision to appoint Stella to his current role in late 2022 has transformed the side’s on-track fortunes, echoed the Italian’s sentiment.
“I mean, it’s been an amazing quest, as Andrea said, to go from where we were, not only on track, but off track,” Brown added.
“I think the commitment that we’ve had from our shareholders, specifically Mumtalakat, has been unbelievable from day one. All they want us to do is win, have a great brand and take care of our people. And I think because we take care of our people, that’s why we’ve had the results that we have.
“We’ve got unbelievable sponsors, total support from our shareholders, our Chairman, and that enables Andrea and I and our leadership team to put our head down and get on with the job as far as the rulebook.
“That’s the exciting part of Formula 1, we’ve got to do it all over again.
“We changed a lot of our car this year, so even though the rules didn’t significantly change, our technical team didn’t sit still.
“And just like our technical team, our leadership team, our CFO, our head of HR, our commercial team, our head of comms, chief of staff, they all have to do an amazing job because the complexity of a Formula 1 team to be able to put the technical team and the racing team in a position to win, there’s a lot of stuff that has to go on behind the scenes to even give them the tools, the resources, and us, the people. So it’s a great accomplishment because we definitely earned it the hard way.”
But with McLaren having to manage less aero testing time with a budget cap in place, Brown has recognised that it would be unwise to underestimate the opposition.
“Now we’ve got to do it all over again,” he acknowledged. “And it’ll be tough because as I say, the worst team in Formula 1 is really good.
“So not only the competition of the drivers, the competition of the teams, there’s no more small teams anymore, there’s now those minnow teams that we all grew up with.
“You know, everyone’s running at the cost cap. The sport’s unbelievably healthy.”
READ MORE – Why Toto Wolff believes cost cap gave McLaren an easier ride to championship double in F1 2025
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