DEFENDING THE CROWN: MCLAREN ENTERS 2026 AS REIGNING CHAMPIONS WITH A TARGET ON THEIR BACK
McLaren is ready: Discover how Andrea Stella is preparing Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to defend their F1 titles in the MCL40.
McLaren boss Andrea Stella says the team is all-in on making sure both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have everything they need to get the most out of the MCL40.
They're heading into the new season as defending champs in both F1 titles, thanks to Norris finally grabbing his first drivers’ championship. That puts a big target on McLaren’s back.
Even with all that, the team hasn’t been bragging about being top dog during pre-season. Still, Stella feels good about what they’ve seen in testing.
He points out, “We’re encouraged by how reliable the MCL40 is and how much we’ve learned every time we put it on track.”
He adds, “We checked off our testing goals, nailed down the car’s main functions, and proved its reliability. We got in plenty of long runs and worked through setups, aero tweaks, and tyre data, all the way to squeezing the most from the power unit.”
“Day by day, we’ve managed to squeeze out more performance, which is great to see. Now we know exactly what this car can do as we head into this new era of Formula 1.”
The cars handle a lot differently this year, mostly because of big changes to the power units.
As the team figures out how to get every last bit out of the engine, Stella says they’ll keep fine-tuning everything to give Lando and Oscar access to every ounce of pace.
He admits, “The new rules make the driver’s job tougher than ever, and we’re focused on giving Lando and Oscar what they need to get the most out of the car.”
“They’ll have more to juggle with managing the power unit, but we’re working closely with HPP to build better tools and a deeper understanding of engine control and performance. HPP’s done a solid job so far, and we’ll keep pushing together.”
INSIDE THE FIA MEETINGS: HOW TEAMS HASHED OUT THE END OF SUPER-CLIPPING MISERY
Formula 1 is changing. New engine rules, aimed at fixing lift-and-coast, debut at the Miami Grand Prix to boost qualifying.
Mark Temple, McLaren's technical director for performance, thinks the new rule changes will finally fix the drivers’ complaints, especially in qualifying.
Drivers won’t have to worry so much about lift-and-coast or super clipping dominating their laps. Getting the energy balance right is now going to feel a lot more like the old days.
Here's what’s happening: Formula 1 rolled out engine rules this year, splitting power 50/50 between combustion and battery, plus some power boosts. The problem? Battery harvesting and things like super clipping and lift-and-coast sucked the excitement out of qualifying. Max Verstappen said it best: it just wasn’t fun. Drivers couldn’t push flat out, and that just ruined the thrill.
Everyone grumbled: drivers, teams, even safety officials. The FIA brought together F1 management, team bosses, and power unit manufacturers. After hashing it out, they agreed to tweak the rules. Maximum battery recharge drops from 8 MJ to 7 MJ for qualifying; peak super clip power gets bumped up to 350 kW; and grand prix Boost power will max out at +150 kW.
These changes kick in at the Miami Grand Prix. We’ll see soon enough if it makes the drivers any happier, but Temple feels it’ll make qualifying noticeably better.
Lift-and-coast and super clipping should now basically resemble what drivers had to do with older power units. Temple breaks it down: “You’ve got lift-and-coast or coasting into corners, trying to harvest energy to use on the straights. But now, there are changes to Super Clip rules and how much energy you can grab over one lap in qualifying.”
He says the biggest difference is how the car feels to drive. The goal: ditch the stuff drivers hated, especially in qualifying. Instead of coasting forever into a fast chicane, you get the natural feeling of staying flat on the throttle and braking hard. Two things change: lift-and-coast should pretty much disappear in qualifying, where drivers used to let off and coast before braking. Now, the power unit does its thing more efficiently, letting drivers hold full throttle while the car recovers energy. Straight Mode stays active, so they’re not slowing as much. The switch from throttle straight to brakes feels normal again.
Plus, the duration of the super clip or coasting phases gets cut way down. So, when they do show up, they’re quick and manageable, kind of like tyre or fuel management moments from past seasons. Qualifying laps should feel way more natural.
There’s some other complicated stuff under the hood, mostly about how the car manages and deploys energy. That gets a bit simpler, too, making things less finicky for drivers.
MERCEDES REVEALS CREATIVE "DIRTY RAG" PRANK USED TO DISCIPLINE TEENAGE STAR KIMI ANTONELLI
Kimi Antonelli is the youngest F1 leader ever. Discover how Mercedes uses pranks to keep their teenage superstar down to earth.
Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes’ deputy team principal Bradley Lord recently talked about how the Brackley team is helping Antonelli stay humble, even as success keeps piling up.
Antonelli’s only 19, but he’s already leading the Formula 1 drivers’ championship, the youngest ever to do it, thanks to consecutive wins in China and Japan. Right now, he’s nine points ahead of his veteran teammate George Russell. Still, the season’s just getting started.
“I always try to stay grounded, especially after China,” Antonelli said on the Mercedes Nu Silver Arrows Radio Show, recalling his first F1 win in Shanghai. “Then I focus on the next race. It’s easy to get caught up in those amazing moments, but the season’s long and the goal hasn’t changed. We just want more of that winning feeling.”
He talked about his time at Mercedes, saying, “I’ve been with them since 2018, since I was twelve, really. It’s been one incredible journey. I grew up with this team. Last year, stepping up didn’t feel like a big change because I already knew so many of the folks here. The transition was really smooth. Mercedes has given me so many chances from my karting days to now. We’re living something special, and honestly, I just want to keep going like this. The support here means a lot.”
Lord had his own story about keeping Antonelli down-to-earth. He laughed about a filming day at Silverstone when Kimi thought it’d be cool to spin his wheels leaving the garage, leaving big black marks everywhere. Every single time, the crew had to clean up after him. So they got a little payback: they stuffed all the dirty rags into the sleeves of his jacket, so when he put it back on, he got a special mess as a “thank you” from the team. Keeping Kimi in check definitely takes some creativity.
