McLaren boss Andrea Stella admitted after the Grand Prix that his team is significantly behind Mercedes, while pointing out certain limitations in the collaboration with the German engine manufacturer.
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According to Stella, the data collected in Melbourne confirms that the world champion team can only note the performance difference between its papaya cars and the Silver Arrows.
“To be honest, the gap in the race was similar to what we saw in qualifying, he admits. There is performance to be found in two main areas: the exploitation of the power unit and grip in the corners. And in the race, it was exactly the same thing.”
Misunderstanding of the data
The Italian engineer admits that some data remains difficult to explain, especially when McLaren compares its performance to that of other teams using the same Mercedes engine: “We still remain a bit perplexed by the difference we observe in the data between the speed of our car and that of others using the same power unit. This clearly indicates that we should do a better job of understanding how to use the engine with the complexities introduced by the 2026 regulations.”
GPS analyses also show a clear advantage for Mercedes in certain corners: “When we look at the GPS overlays, we see that Mercedes is faster in certain corners. We therefore have clear objectives and priorities. We must find a way to extract more from the power unit and continue to develop the car.”
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Despite everything, Stella warns that it will take time to close the gap, currently estimated at between half a second and a second per lap: “It will take a few races before we see significant developments that could allow us to change the category in which we are fighting a bit. So in these first races, we must ensure we get the maximum out of the car in its current configuration.”
The factory team advantage
The regulations nevertheless require each engine manufacturer to provide the same engine version to its customer teams. But the head of Mercedes High Performance Powertrains Hywel Thomas had already acknowledged that the official team naturally benefits from an advantage, as its needs are directly integrated into the development.
Stella therefore wants to strengthen collaboration with HPP engineers, while recognizing that some expertise naturally remains on the factory team’s side: “We have spent a lot of time analyzing different data overlays, not only with HPP-powered teams, particularly Mercedes, but also with other competitors.”
“And the result of this analysis seems to clearly indicate that we have work to do as a team, but also in collaboration with our HPP engineers. It is not optimal. Could they do more? Yes, certainly, but it is also up to us to nudge them where necessary, he admits. We must better exploit the potential of the power unit. When I see what HPP is capable of extracting from it, it seems obvious that there is more to be found. It’s a new collaboration in a way.”
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