McLaren has pinpointed a major problem at the start of this season. A clear directive is now set to restart the hunt for Mercedes.
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The McLaren team did not have the ideal start in 2026, despite obvious potential. Between reliability issues and missed opportunities, especially in Australia and China, the British team quickly came under pressure against Mercedes and Ferrari.
However, encouraging signs emerged, particularly in Japan, where Oscar Piastri showed he was capable of competing with the silver arrows. Starting third, the Australian even took the lead before being penalized by an unfavorable strategy under the safety car.
Graining, identified Achilles’ heel
The team principal, Andrea Stella, highlighted a specific problem: tire management, and more particularly the graining phenomenon at the front.
“When you look at the race comparisons, you see that Ferrari maintains an advantage in the corners, he explains. Their car is able to generate more grip than ours, while we generally benefit from a very competitive power unit.”
“When there is graining at the front, we seem to be slightly more vulnerable than Ferrari and Mercedes” Stella acknowledges, pointing to a key factor in the loss of performance over the duration of a stint.
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A clear direction to return to the top
Despite this observation, the tone remains determined. Stella does not look for excuses and sets a precise course: improve the chassis to fully exploit the overall potential of the car.
“Mercedes and Ferrari have better overall performance, but that does not change our goal: we must improve the performance of our chassis” he states.
In a season where gaps remain tight, this kind of detail can make all the difference. If McLaren manages to fix this weakness, especially on tire-demanding circuits like Miami, the team could quickly become a credible contender for victory again.
The assessment is made, the mission is clear: turn this discovery into a competitive advantage.
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