Andrea Stella believes McLaren can still secure meaningful results in the latter half of the 2026 Formula 1 season, despite the severe setback in the title battles. The team principal highlighted the recent progress of the MCL40 and set car development as the top priority in order to narrow the gap to their rivals.
After 11 rounds, the British outfit sits third in the constructors’ standings with 220 points, trailing Mercedes on 379 and Ferrari on 307. Among the drivers, Lando Norris occupies fifth, with 128 points, 91 behind leader Kimi Antonelli, while Oscar Piastri sits seventh with 92.
Problems at the start of the season were compounded by reliability issues and by a lag in the car’s development. McLaren itself acknowledged the need to chase down the leading rivals, but the situation began to shift in the early stages of the season’s midway point, when fresh upgrades brought the MCL40 closer to the front of the grid.
One of the major upgrade packages reached the Hungarian Grand Prix, featuring a redesigned floor. In the same race, the 2025 F1 champion claimed his first victory of the season, a result that reinforced Stella’s belief in the team’s potential to rebound. “That’s a tough question, but there is a very clear answer. If we can continue the season the way we did in Budapest, I think we can still achieve a lot,” he stated.
“For that to happen, we must keep pushing forward with the development of the MCL40 and ensure we outrun our rivals, who are certainly not standing still in this ongoing contest—the battle for upgrades,” he added.
