2026 McLaren Mastercard F1 Team

[CjC]

Think McLaren need the flip wing, looks to be rather beneficial especially when you look at what it’s done for the Red Max car.

Sky commentary said that Lando was 13th in the speed trap. 12kph down from the fastest

[Badger]

It's entirely possible that they were preparing for rainy conditions.

It's not. There's no rain set-up in the world that beats track position on a properly wet track. Nevermind the fact that there's no guarantee of a wet circuit. Florida is notorious for quick heavy showers followed by rapid drying.

[venkyhere]

I am 100% convinced McLaren were having deployment issues, because 'setup-change' in 2026 doesn't just mean mechanical changes, it also means tweaking the AI/ML algorithm that is responsible for PU management.

[CjC]

I am 100% convinced McLaren were having deployment issues, because 'setup-change' in 2026 doesn't just mean mechanical changes, it also means tweaking the AI/ML algorithm that is responsible for PU management.

100%
Lando didn’t start his last lap with a full battery going into turn 1 and Iscar had a random super clip.

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/reas ... -drop-off/

I don’t think if would have been enough to beat Antonelli though

[Darth-Piekus]

Looks like its best to forget any talks about titles this year and just focus of how we can reach Mercedes at least by the end.

[CjC]

Like I say, I think all 4 of the top teams will win a main race this season, it’s just Mercedes will have 2 drivers who can win any given race. Look at Japan, Oscar should have won that race, McLaren pitted him to keep ahead of one of the Mercedes but the safety car allowed the other Mercedes to win.

I expect it to happen a few more times- when the likes of Verstappen or Leclerc are leading races for the remainder of the season too

[Darth-Piekus]

Like I say, I think all 4 of the top teams will win a main race this season, it’s just Mercedes will have 2 drivers who can win any given race. Look at Japan, Oscar should have won that race, McLaren pitted him to keep ahead of one of the Mercedes but the safety car allowed the other Mercedes to win.

I expect it to happen a few more times- when the likes of Verstappen or Leclerc are leading races for the remainder of the season too

But somehow it bothers me that not every driver will be treated equally for these performances. Max is already glazed over from that 2nd place with a supposed 4th best car but Piastri didnt get any praise for his performance in Japan who had a victory in his grasp in the 3rd best car then. Poor Kimi Antonelli already faces doubts from people of his talent for being in the best car. Hamilton did not get as much praise for his performances in Australia and China and Alonso is getting so much glaize everytime he enters top 10.

I wish people would tone down all that and just enjoy F1.

Anyway. Race start will be 3 hours earlier due to the rainstorm incoming and parc ferme was lifted. The team can make changes to bounce back. A good start tomorrow will definitely help as both Mercedes and Red Bull are doing terrible starts.

[CjC]

Like I say, I think all 4 of the top teams will win a main race this season, it’s just Mercedes will have 2 drivers who can win any given race. Look at Japan, Oscar should have won that race, McLaren pitted him to keep ahead of one of the Mercedes but the safety car allowed the other Mercedes to win.

I expect it to happen a few more times- when the likes of Verstappen or Leclerc are leading races for the remainder of the season too

But somehow it bothers me that not every driver will be treated equally for these performances. Max is already glazed over from that 2nd place with a supposed 4th best car but Piastri didnt get any praise for his performance in Japan who had a victory in his grasp in the 3rd best car then. Poor Kimi Antonelli already faces doubts from people of his talent for being in the best car. Hamilton did not get as much praise for his performances in Australia and China and Alonso is getting so much glaize everytime he enters top 10.

I wish people would tone down all that and just enjoy F1.

Anyway. Race start will be 3 hours earlier due to the rainstorm incoming and parc ferme was lifted. The team can make changes to bounce back. A good start tomorrow will definitely help as both Mercedes and Red Bull are doing terrible starts.

It’s just where we are at with the current fan base unfortunately.

A question that I can’t remember if I posted or not was that if Piastri won in Japan 2026 would that:
A) be a superior drive than Verstappens win in Japan 2025 or
B) would its diminish the praise given to Verstappen for that win?

Sadly Oscar didn’t win so it’s a futile question, I think that’s why I didn’t post it as it’s not worth a discussion.

[Darth-Piekus]

It’s just where we are at with the current fan base unfortunately.

A question that I can’t remember if I posted or not was that if Piastri won in Japan 2026 would that:
A) be a superior drive than Verstappens win in Japan 2025 or
B) would its diminish the praise given to Verstappen for that win?

Sadly Oscar didn’t win so it’s a futile question, I think that’s why I didn’t post it as it’s not worth a discussion.

Despite him not winning by sheer luck it was still a masterclass race from Piastri against superior cars and it's really annoying that he isn't acknowledged. I don't want to make comparisons to the other drivers and start saying who has it longer. I want equal treatment and acknowledgement. Yet all I hear from today's community is all the same. One specific driver only has any right to overperform and the others are just fluke. Max is not the center of the universe and all this kind of glazing is what caused my dislike for him. There are other very good drivers out there who can perform just as good. Perhaps they can't do it as many times as him but they can do it just as good and they deserve equal praise when doing it.

[De Wet]

It’s just where we are at with the current fan base unfortunately.

A question that I can’t remember if I posted or not was that if Piastri won in Japan 2026 would that:
A) be a superior drive than Verstappens win in Japan 2025 or
B) would its diminish the praise given to Verstappen for that win?

Sadly Oscar didn’t win so it’s a futile question, I think that’s why I didn’t post it as it’s not worth a discussion.

Despite him not winning by sheer luck it was still a masterclass race from Piastri against superior cars and it's really annoying that he isn't acknowledged. I don't want to make comparisons to the other drivers and start saying who has it longer. I want equal treatment and acknowledgement. Yet all I hear from today's community is all the same. One specific driver only has any right to overperform and the others are just fluke. Max is not the center of the universe and all this kind of glazing is what caused my dislike for him. There are other very good drivers out there who can perform just as good. Perhaps they can't do it as many times as him but they can do it just as good and they deserve equal praise when doing it.

Have to disagree with you here. I am not a Max fan but he is a generational driver. None of the current drivers are in same league as Max.

[venkyhere]

@Darth_Piekus, you don't like the guy, I get it. It's perfectly fine to not like a particular driver. Most of us fans have some driver or the other whom we don't like (for various reasons). The reason your posts become irksome is when you start making 'media praise about Max' the running theme in this McLaren thread. About a driver who doesn't belong to this team. If you don't like reading/watching members/fans/media praising Verstappen, stop reading/watching those things. Why do you need to vent it here ?

Since you are asking for reasons why he is considered 'above board' the other 21 drivers on the current grid, let me entertain you with the latest example :



The RB22 is overweight, and all cars are recharging in the slow mickey-mouse complex from T11 to T16 in Miami. Let's consider the Mercedes as the reference standard car, and compare Norris/Piastri with Verstappen here. The McL40 has the best engine, a super chassis designed by Rob Marshall (especially the award-worthy front suspension layout that gives amazing turn-in) whilst the RB22 is overweight and has just recently found balance. Piastri lost time (one hundredths), Norris found 0.235s on Antonelli, whilst Verstappen found 0.278s. In final run of Q3. Verstappen didn't show this in any run previously. He pulled out his trump card when it mattered most and ended up with purple S2 (this section is towards the end of S2), when throughout Q1,Q2,Q3-1st run, his S2 was worst of all the contenders. He pulled the same trick in AbuDhabi 2025, with S3 sector, shaving off several tenths in the last Q3 run. That's the reason why he is paid the big bucks, that's the reason why almost everyone inside F1 consider him the best. Not just spectators and laymen like us looking from the outside, but even the people on the inside.

[CjC]

Can’t wait for the day he’s wielding his magic in a Mclaren

I would have scoffed so hard if you had told me 6 months ago that GP would have been signed up to go into the senior management team at McLaren

[Badger]

One session and DP and CjC turn this into the Verstappen thread. You guys need to get over it. Focus on McLaren.

[Darth-Piekus]

Can’t wait for the day he’s wielding his magic in a Mclaren

I would have scoffed so hard if you had told me 6 months ago that GP would have been signed up to go into the senior management team at McLaren

It's gonna be a strange day. On one hand it's a driver that we have to support but on the other hand all his fandom will suddenly become Mclaren.

[CjC]

Badger, I am focused alright. 3 titles in 2 seasons did that for me

Do us a favour, go focus on Max Bull- it’s in another thread somewhere