McLaren has revealed how it turned around its uncompetitive start to the 2026 Formula 1 season to take victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The reigning champions started 2026 with at points, arguably the fourth-fastest car behind Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull depending on certain circuit characteristics.
Suffering from a narrow tyre operating window and as well as severe downforce deficit which became exacerbated at circuits such as Monaco.
But its fortunes transformed in Hungary, as Lando Norris swept to a dominant first victory as reigning champion, with teammate Oscar Piastri leading most of the race prior to his retirement with gearbox failure.
Team Principal Andrea Stella confirmed that the enforced break due to the Middle East crisis allowed McLaren to focus on the MCL40’s shortcomings, with no one area identified as the cause of its problems.
“There wasn’t a single event that changed course; rather, it was a growing awareness of the scale of the challenge we’re facing and the adjustments we needed to make,” he said.
“Paradoxically, the enforced break in April probably allowed us to focus entirely on analysing the MCL40’s performance and to fully understand that we needed to redirect or strengthen its development in certain areas of the car.”
McLaren cites “long process” to improve the MCL40
Stella also highlighted the extensive work to understand its new power unit for 2026, with the results only beginning to show. While engine parity is required by the regulations, manufacturers still arguably hold an advantage over customers this season as teams like McLaren scramble to understand the intricacies of the near 50:50 split between internal combustion and electric power.
“Furthermore, over the past few months we’ve had the opportunity to deepen our understanding of the new power unit supplied by Mercedes HPP and to work with our technical partners to work out how best to utilise it,” he said.
“It’s been a long process, with its ups and downs, but one that’s starting to bear fruit. That said, I expect that optimising the power unit will remain a complex issue throughout the 2026 season.”
McLaren’s victory at the Hungaroring was also made possible by the introduction of a new floor and other small upgrades to the MCL40. Stella said this package was the first true test of what he labelled “a change in direction” in developing the MCL40, one the team passed with flying colours.
“Returning to the car’s performance, it is clear that the Budapest weekend, which brought the first half of the season to a close, was the highlight: not only because of the result, but above all because the aerodynamic package we introduced at the Hungaroring is the result of this change of direction in development and has enabled us to make significant progress in terms of competitiveness.”
Its victory in Hungary once again demonstrated McLaren’s ability to develop its way out of a quandary in its car philosophy.
Hungary is only one race, and the reigning champions will be under pressure in Zandvoort to prove that its dominant Hungary win was not just a flash in the pan.
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