2026 McLaren Mastercard F1 Team

[Emag]

Packaging-wise, it doesn't seem like they would be restricted in going towards the Ferrari/Merc/AM route. They will be able to do it.

However, "going back" now means admitting the current concept has lower potential. They scrap development time and have to start on the back foot and try to catch up with the others who potentially have been studying that route for much longer.

Or maybe there's something "more mature" in the wind tunnel already and they've made up their mind about the way forward. Which of course would mean Rob lied about not seeing significant changes coming Melbourne.

If you ask me though, I honestly don't expect them to switch. At least not this early. They will likely bring minor stuff (or maybe a more refined floor for the race?), but I don't expect a big shift from what the car looks like now. They will probably see where they are and then decide where to go. I have a feeling McLaren won't be troubling the top spots at the start of the season and catch up later on, but who knows. I am not basing this on anything other than my subjective impression from looking at the cars released and how the shakedown went for each team. I could change my mind after Bahrain.

If they do end up having a 2024 kind of season though, I wouldn't be surprised (i.e start relatively on the back foot, but catch up from the first major upgrade package).

When you say the Ferrari/Merc/AM route, what are you referring to exactly?

The hole in the diffuser?

Nope, switching philosophy from these downwashing sidepods that go all the way down to the floor, to those that prioritize the clean flow in the undercut, where the sidepods don't go all the way down at the rear. The hole in the diffuser could be something that works well with that particular philosophy, I don't know, but that's not the only thing those cars have in common.

[the EDGE]

Packaging-wise, it doesn't seem like they would be restricted in going towards the Ferrari/Merc/AM route. They will be able to do it.

However, "going back" now means admitting the current concept has lower potential. They scrap development time and have to start on the back foot and try to catch up with the others who potentially have been studying that route for much longer.

Or maybe there's something "more mature" in the wind tunnel already and they've made up their mind about the way forward. Which of course would mean Rob lied about not seeing significant changes coming Melbourne.

If you ask me though, I honestly don't expect them to switch. At least not this early. They will likely bring minor stuff (or maybe a more refined floor for the race?), but I don't expect a big shift from what the car looks like now. They will probably see where they are and then decide where to go. I have a feeling McLaren won't be troubling the top spots at the start of the season and catch up later on, but who knows. I am not basing this on anything other than my subjective impression from looking at the cars released and how the shakedown went for each team. I could change my mind after Bahrain.

If they do end up having a 2024 kind of season though, I wouldn't be surprised (i.e start relatively on the back foot, but catch up from the first major upgrade package).

When you say the Ferrari/Merc/AM route, what are you referring to exactly?

The hole in the diffuser?

Nope, switching philosophy from these downwashing sidepods that go all the way down to the floor, to those that prioritize the clean flow in the undercut, where the sidepods don't go all the way down at the rear. The hole in the diffuser could be something that works well with that particular philosophy, I don't know, but that's not the only thing those cars have in common.

They don’t go all the way down to the floor, they taper-in to the rear bodywork. Their undercut is huge. The side view is very misleading. You need to look at the overhead shot in the car thread to appreciate just how good a job they have done

[Emag]

They don’t go all the way down to the floor, they taper-in to the rear bodywork. Their undercut is huge. The side view is very misleading. You need to look at the overhead shot in the car thread to appreciate just how good a job they have done

I didn't say they haven't done a good job. It's quite obviously a very tightly packaged car and I have made this point from the first images that were released. For what it is, this is clearly a well-executed concept and you can tell a lot of work went into making those sidepods very small. They actually end a good deal before you reach the diffuser and they don't taper down right at the beginning of the "throat" but rather a bit earlier than that.

However, the difference is there. That tapered bit that connects down to the floor does change the flow somewhat.



Is it a big difference? I don't think so actually, because McLaren have managed to make the sidepods quite narrow (you can admire this better from a topdown view). They're not only short, but they also have a very substantial undercut. They're also very thin vertically as well as laterally. A head-on front view or total side-view like the image I shared actually do not show this, you're right.

However, even if there is not a significant difference with regards to the airflow to the diffuser. There's some difference with regards to the overcut as well. McLaren has a very aggressive overcut as well and the sidepods swoop down towards the floor very sharply. It's why their sidepods are so short. However if they decide to change philosophy, it's not as simple as it looks.

The "longer" sidepods potentially change how you handle the airflow underneath the rear-wing and how everything ties together with the rear suspension. So you have to consider how to work the rear wing more/less and tie it down with the front of the car as well to balance everything out.

So yes, it's easy to assume the bodywork is tight enough for them to be quite similar. However if you analyze it a bit deeper, there's a lot of things to consider for a potential switch.

[WardenOfTheNorth]

The issue that occurred to McLaren, further info points to the fuel supply system + pump (Mercedes) that went KO, plus it seems they used their own fuel.
Regarding the fuel use, I'm taking the due precautions because it's very early, but it's a clue.

I wonder if they switched to normal fuel for last day...

Do you really think a customer team will try using fuel from 'another source' than the engine supplier team, particularly in this new formula of synthetic fuels where 'divergence in fuel composition' across teams is going to be wider than before ?
We shouldn't trust 'generic F1 media' too much. Take 'news' from them with a pinch of salt. Whatever gets reported as 'rumours' / 'insider source' etc is usually a figment of imagination of some reporter/content-writer. Competition is super high, what with recent upsurge in popularity and reach of F1, post netflix, so chances of 'manufactured news' is very very high.

More over, what would be the point of any team using the wrong fuel for these engines? They're designed to be run on the 100% sustainable fuel, there would be no benefit to Mercedes, for example, doing 500 laps using the wrong fuel.

They would risk turning up to Bahrain and suddenly having issues.

[AR3-GP]

It will be interesting to see how Piastri adapts to the new cars. It was said that he struggled in "low grip" conditions. It seems that this year's cars will be driving in permanent "low grip conditions" due to the loss of downforce.

“Obviously the car itself, it’s got a lot less downforce than what we had last year as well. So getting used to that and how that feel has been the biggest thing we’ve started to get ourselves into.”

https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsport ... es-engine/


It could favor Lando quite a bit.

[the EDGE]

The issue that occurred to McLaren, further info points to the fuel supply system + pump (Mercedes) that went KO, plus it seems they used their own fuel.
Regarding the fuel use, I'm taking the due precautions because it's very early, but it's a clue.

I wonder if they switched to normal fuel for last day...

Do you really think a customer team will try using fuel from 'another source' than the engine supplier team, particularly in this new formula of synthetic fuels where 'divergence in fuel composition' across teams is going to be wider than before ?
We shouldn't trust 'generic F1 media' too much. Take 'news' from them with a pinch of salt. Whatever gets reported as 'rumours' / 'insider source' etc is usually a figment of imagination of some reporter/content-writer. Competition is super high, what with recent upsurge in popularity and reach of F1, post netflix, so chances of 'manufactured news' is very very high.

More over, what would be the point of any team using the wrong fuel for these engines? They're designed to be run on the 100% sustainable fuel, there would be no benefit to Mercedes, for example, doing 500 laps using the wrong fuel.

They would risk turning up to Bahrain and suddenly having issues.

There are definitely murmurings of teams using standard fuel for testing but I can’t find anything concrete to confirm either way. The reason teams would use not use the bio-fuel for testing would be cost. Mercedes did 500+ laps, at 2ltrs a lap, and £200 a litre, that’s a £200,000+ fuel bill.

[the EDGE]

They don’t go all the way down to the floor, they taper-in to the rear bodywork. Their undercut is huge. The side view is very misleading. You need to look at the overhead shot in the car thread to appreciate just how good a job they have done

I didn't say they haven't done a good job. It's quite obviously a very tightly packaged car and I have made this point from the first images that were released. For what it is, this is clearly a well-executed concept and you can tell a lot of work went into making those sidepods very small. They actually end a good deal before you reach the diffuser and they don't taper down right at the beginning of the "throat" but rather a bit earlier than that.

However, the difference is there. That tapered bit that connects down to the floor does change the flow somewhat.

https://i.postimg.cc/jS0z6DLD/image-psd.jpg

Is it a big difference? I don't think so actually, because McLaren have managed to make the sidepods quite narrow (you can admire this better from a topdown view). They're not only short, but they also have a very substantial undercut. They're also very thin vertically as well as laterally. A head-on front view or total side-view like the image I shared actually do not show this, you're right.

However, even if there is not a significant difference with regards to the airflow to the diffuser. There's some difference with regards to the overcut as well. McLaren has a very aggressive overcut as well and the sidepods swoop down towards the floor very sharply. It's why their sidepods are so short. However if they decide to change philosophy, it's not as simple as it looks.

The "longer" sidepods potentially change how you handle the airflow underneath the rear-wing and how everything ties together with the rear suspension. So you have to consider how to work the rear wing more/less and tie it down with the front of the car as well to balance everything out.

So yes, it's easy to assume the bodywork is tight enough for them to be quite similar. However if you analyze it a bit deeper, there's a lot of things to consider for a potential switch.

So I think we’re both seeing the same thing, but interpreting what we are seeing slightly differently

I’d argue McLaren & RB have the closest concept, only RB’s pods are narrower in width at the front. As for AM, we will have to wait for better pictures to see what is happening at the back, but obviously their undercut is much deeper than anyone else’s. It looks like all 3 teams have a much cleaner, unobstructed coke bottle area

I don’t see Merc and Ferrari in the same league, as their side pods remain bulky all the way to the back, hence the need for the undercut going all the way back, but this is blocking air to the centre of the diffuser. Their undercut delivers air over the diffuser but their sidepods are blocking the upper area in the coke bottle region, delivering air higher up, over the suspension elements

I’d argue the McLaren’s sidepods effectively end at the left of the Mastercard logo (in the overhead) picture, and with it the undercut, as you can not undercut what simply is not there

Yes, there is a very thin continuation of the downwash, but this directs a little air right to the centre of the of the diffusers exterior surface, where it’s traditionally hard to get air to, which I think is genius.

It’s a shame that we don’t have great overhead pictures of the other cars yet, but when we do, I expect it to show the Merc & Ferrari have a lot more blockage in the coke bottle area than that of McLaren, Aston & RB, albeit that the block is raised off of the floor. But I admit I could be wrong

[FittingMechanics]

I wonder if they plan to assess if this concept is the right path before deciding how much development time they will spend, or where they will develop.

That was pretty clearly what Marshall was implying. They want to evaluate this concept, this car and competitors and then see where they will spend their budget and CFD time.

This could result in the team being slow to bring updates but once they bring them, it should offer them a bigger jump in performance.

Once again, McLaren doing things slightly differently to other teams.

[Def]

The car's body layout mirrors the world champion MCL39, with updates expected between Suzuka and Bahrain. The front suspension's lower back element extends further than its 2025 predecessor, guiding airflow to the radiators.

[mwillems]

I wonder if they plan to assess if this concept is the right path before deciding how much development time they will spend, or where they will develop.

That was pretty clearly what Marshall was implying. They want to evaluate this concept, this car and competitors and then see where they will spend their budget and CFD time.

This could result in the team being slow to bring updates but once they bring them, it should offer them a bigger jump in performance.

Once again, McLaren doing things slightly differently to other teams.

With limited resource they have an additional focus on how to spend it. They can't add anything to the car if the concept is slow or it's ceiling is identified as being too low.

[mwillems]

I had a quick look and for Melbourne there has been no announcement yet on the number of active aero zones. All I can see is that there will be more Active Aero zones than DRS it is suggested. It feels like the FIA will be able to change it up at will, based on how the racing pans out. We could end up with zones on every straight where it is safe.

[Leon Kennedy]

I wonder if they plan to assess if this concept is the right path before deciding how much development time they will spend, or where they will develop.

That was pretty clearly what Marshall was implying. They want to evaluate this concept, this car and competitors and then see where they will spend their budget and CFD time.

This could result in the team being slow to bring updates but once they bring them, it should offer them a bigger jump in performance.

Once again, McLaren doing things slightly differently to other teams.

Hi guys, I'm new to the forum, but yes, I had the same impression, McLaren in my opinion is starting with a very basic car, this doesn't mean slow but that it will be predictable as a window of use and easy to correlate. In my opinion, as soon as they realize which concept is the best, they will go and simulate it in the gallery that is said to have the yaw angles.

[Seerix]

I guess so, isn't primary purpose of active aero to keep energy consumption in check by lowering drag, so they don't run out of energy mid straight? I suppose it will depend on how efficient the engines end up being.

[deadhead]

[WardenOfTheNorth]

Do you really think a customer team will try using fuel from 'another source' than the engine supplier team, particularly in this new formula of synthetic fuels where 'divergence in fuel composition' across teams is going to be wider than before ?
We shouldn't trust 'generic F1 media' too much. Take 'news' from them with a pinch of salt. Whatever gets reported as 'rumours' / 'insider source' etc is usually a figment of imagination of some reporter/content-writer. Competition is super high, what with recent upsurge in popularity and reach of F1, post netflix, so chances of 'manufactured news' is very very high.

More over, what would be the point of any team using the wrong fuel for these engines? They're designed to be run on the 100% sustainable fuel, there would be no benefit to Mercedes, for example, doing 500 laps using the wrong fuel.

They would risk turning up to Bahrain and suddenly having issues.

There are definitely murmurings of teams using standard fuel for testing but I can’t find anything concrete to confirm either way. The reason teams would use not use the bio-fuel for testing would be cost. Mercedes did 500+ laps, at 2ltrs a lap, and £200 a litre, that’s a £200,000+ fuel bill.

Does Shakedown/Testing come out of the budget cap?

How is the cost worked out? Because obviously Petronas is title sponsor for Merc, so are McLaren going to be paying for something Merc get for free??