2026 McLaren Mastercard F1 Team

[McFAN]

Looks like Lando started a race sim
Edit. There isn't the time left to complete one

[SoulPancake13]

Looks like Lando started a race sim
Edit. There isn't the time left to complete one

I think his first stint and second stint simulations are looking very strong though, even if he doesn't get to finish the last stint.

Edit: unless of course, Norris is just simulating stints 2 and 3. In that case, I think his sim looks a bit better than Piastri's yesterday.

[Xero]

Looks like Lando started a race sim
Edit. There isn't the time left to complete one

I think his first stint and second stint simulations are looking very strong though, even if he doesn't get to finish the last stint.

It is, been keeping a loose eye on the times, looks decent.

[Darth-Piekus]

Ferrari looks good there but they might as well turned engine to full. We've yet to see what the rest can do once they turn their engines to full power.

[AR3-GP]

Mclaren to bring weight reductions in Melbourne.

The McLaren Team Principal then focused on the issue, framing some changes that will be made on the MCL40 on this front. "The weight reduction operations of the car never end, even when you are within the limits. Because then you want to have the opportunity to play a little with the weight distribution, even if you manage to reach the minimum weight," explained Stella. "For us, this is an issue we have certainly worked on in the development phase. We will bring a bit of new things that are not visible in Melbourne because it is part of the lightening program of the car, then there will still be some work for the whole first part of the season."

https://autoracer.it/mclaren-stella-mer ... e-il-peso/

[McFAN]

Did they do a practice start? How was Lando's launch?

[Nicktendo86]

Did the do a practice start? How was Lando's launch?

It was excellent, one of the best starts.

[crapu7]

Much better start from Lando, they seem to have found a better setup only being behind Ferrari from the looks of it

[f1Follower]

Did the do a practice start? How was Lando's launch?

It was excellent, one of the best starts.

Is Ferrari power units better at launch?

[McFAN]

Did the do a practice start? How was Lando's launch?

It was excellent, one of the best starts.

That's very encouraging.

[Macklaren]

Did the do a practice start? How was Lando's launch?

It was excellent, one of the best starts.

Is Ferrari power units better at launch?

speculation is that Ferrari used a smaller turbo which gives them a quicker launch but will hurt peak power
I doubt their launch is because of the turbo rather than something with the MGU because 1) their "rocket" surge comes in the second phase of the launch 2) I doubt Ferrari would have sacrificied peak power 3) they seem pretty chill about the new launch rules

[McFAN]

Congrats to the team
It's been a really solid test in terms of mileage and reliability,
and considering the deficit in cfd + windtunnel allocation, them coming to testing with a seemingly competitive car is mightily impressive I think.

[ScottR267]

[FittingMechanics]

Lando's start was superb. Really impressive. A shame he wasn't closer to a Ferrari so we can see a comparison but he easily dispatched to RB cars and then was going to overtake Alpine (same engine) with a big speed differential but Alpine was blocking so Lando backed off. I'm sure everyone will improve their starts but today McLaren guys had perfect starts, both Lando and Oscar.

Very happy with the test. Single lap pace looks to be strong, race pace is harder to say but maybe more work on tire management is needed. In any case I'm very content to be in this position for the season. Even if we are not at the top, we will definitely be in the Big 4 and that is the position McLaren should be in.

[Ground Effect]

Looks like I'm paying for F1TV