2026 McLaren Mastercard F1 Team

[_cerber1]

[Darth-Piekus]

That is good right?

[Nicktendo86]

Yep very good

[FittingMechanics]

Ah finally. This is one signing that we really needed in 2025. The strategies were weak.

He should be able to bring improvements to the strategy team for 2026.

[ScottR267]

Doesn’t look like the team lost many sponsors for 26. Only one I can see that’s gone is Castore, however I did see Puma were linked to replace them

[venkyhere]

Ah finally. This is one signing that we really needed in 2025. The strategies were weak.

He should be able to bring improvements to the strategy team for 2026.

It will depend on how the conflict resolution between 'papaya rules' and 'algorithm-optimized strategy' occurs, on occasions they oppose each other.

[Nicktendo86]

Ah finally. This is one signing that we really needed in 2025. The strategies were weak.

He should be able to bring improvements to the strategy team for 2026.

It will depend on how the conflict resolution between 'papaya rules' and 'algorithm-optimized strategy' occurs, on occasions they oppose each other.

Hopefully he will be given authority for the final say

[Watto]

Ah finally. This is one signing that we really needed in 2025. The strategies were weak.

He should be able to bring improvements to the strategy team for 2026.

It will depend on how the conflict resolution between 'papaya rules' and 'algorithm-optimized strategy' occurs, on occasions they oppose each other.

Hopefully he will be given authority for the final say

I am not convinced he will. McLaren and Brown seem very set in their ways with papaya rules though I do think he will improve things I think there will still me times things are left a little....well 50 shades of papaya

[Emag]

Papaya rules are overplayed. They just boil down to race but don't crash each other out. All the other stuff is usually just stupidness that they cause themselves trying to undo very bad strategy decisions (like Monza this year or Hungary last year). They're solvable with a better pit wall team.

If by "set in their ways" you mean their refusal to have a number one driver then I doubt that's ever going to change. It's historically been that way at McLaren since as long as I remember.

[venkyhere]

Papaya rules are overplayed. They just boil down to race but don't crash each other out. All the other stuff is usually just stupidness that they cause themselves trying to undo very bad strategy decisions (like Monza this year or Hungary last year). They're solvable with a better pit wall team.

If by "set in their ways" you mean their refusal to have a number one driver then I doubt that's ever going to change. It's historically been that way at McLaren since as long as I remember.

My guesstimate is that we will see the worst of 'papaya rules' (forged from a desire to control the uncontrollables, establishing a cause-effect relationship between 'random chance' and their driver's emotional state, where there needn't be any - this comes from a prejudistic conviction that their drivers aren't adults, and are schoolboys who need emotional babysitting) in 2026, when the 'racecraft' advantage of Piastri and the 'faster yet saving tyres' advantage of Norris will bring them closer than ever before, since there is an all new 'learning' that drivers need to undergo when racing on tracks already super familiar to them.

[CjC]

Can’t seem to find a date for the car launch?
Perhaps they will just surprise us all again like last season.

[Emag]

Papaya rules are overplayed. They just boil down to race but don't crash each other out. All the other stuff is usually just stupidness that they cause themselves trying to undo very bad strategy decisions (like Monza this year or Hungary last year). They're solvable with a better pit wall team.

If by "set in their ways" you mean their refusal to have a number one driver then I doubt that's ever going to change. It's historically been that way at McLaren since as long as I remember.

My guesstimate is that we will see the worst of 'papaya rules' (forged from a desire to control the uncontrollables, establishing a cause-effect relationship between 'random chance' and their driver's emotional state, where there needn't be any - this comes from a prejudistic conviction that their drivers aren't adults, and are schoolboys who need emotional babysitting) in 2026, when the 'racecraft' advantage of Piastri and the 'faster yet saving tyres' advantage of Norris will bring them closer than ever before, since there is an all new 'learning' that drivers need to undergo when racing on tracks already super familiar to them.

I actually think the opposite. There will be no need for papaya rules in 2026 because one of their drivers will be faster than the other most of the time.

Edit: or it might not matter at all if they’re not in the title fight. Who knows

[Macklaren]

Can’t seem to find a date for the car launch?
Perhaps they will just surprise us all again like last season.

The only team yet to reveal it's launch date. It feels eerily quiet. Very similar to last year. Hoping it's for similar reasons

[SilviuAgo]

Doesn’t look like the team lost many sponsors for 26. Only one I can see that’s gone is Castore, however I did see Puma were linked to replace them

On Optimum Nutrition main page you will see a video with Lando wearing Puma. So yes, starting 1st of January 2026 Castore OUT, Puma IN.

https://www.optimumnutrition.com/pages/ ... ndo-norris

[Macklaren]

Doesn’t look like the team lost many sponsors for 26. Only one I can see that’s gone is Castore, however I did see Puma were linked to replace them

On Optimum Nutrition main page you will see a video with Lando wearing Puma. So yes, starting 1st of January 2026 Castore OUT, Puma IN.

https://www.optimumnutrition.com/pages/ ... ndo-norris

https://d3q27bh1u24u2o.cloudfront.net/n ... LXX5YK.png

Good spot!