2026 McLaren Mastercard F1 Team

[CjC]

Loosing big on the 2 main straights to all competitors (raw power and/or energy management).

High drag concept or short 8th gear hurting them?

[Ben1980]

In recent years, the team hasnt liked bumpy tracks. And last year Canada wasn't a favourite, even with the great car. So, maybe this was always tricky for them.

They just need to keep learning the upgrades, im sure it will cone together.

[CjC]

I’m not 100% sure but I think it’s only the new wing which they aren’t running.

This is some of what he said:

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella on Sky Sports F1:
"I think it’s a fair margin considering they (Mercedes) had important upgrades here.
"We also had some upgrades. We actually wanted to take a bit more time to see the behaviour of the front wing, so we raced with the previous front wing.
"So, looking at the fact that the car is pretty much the Miami car, it’s a gap that remains encouraging.
"Obviously we want to be in pole position, and today we are three tenths off so all things need to be put in perspective."

When I heard him say it I thought that it was a bit of a stretch to call it the ‘Miami, car considering.

He’s encouraged by the gap to Mercedes considering it’s the old wing… it would seem that there is a lot of lap time in the new wing however, they weren’t confident it was fully delivering when they ran it on track today

I think the possibly worrying thing is that this is a 10 corner (and that's generous) 70 second lap. That's why all teammate gaps are basically nothing and all teams lineup 2-by-2. Yet Merc still pulled 3 tenths (and possibly more tomorrow). 3 tenths here is not 3 tenths of Miami.

I think we will get a better read tomorrow. The other teams will hope to be closer because this would be a massacre on a track with actual corners.

Yea I think Mercedes will be out of reach this weekend.

Within the link in your other post, Houldey said the spec of the current McLaren ideally works best with the new front wing so there is more performance in the car when they can confirm that the front wing is working, so there’s hope for the future but not this weekend.

[CjC]

In recent years, the team hasnt liked bumpy tracks. And last year Canada wasn't a favourite, even with the great car. So, maybe this was always tricky for them.

They just need to keep learning the upgrades, im sure it will cone together.

Exactly. Hopefully this is Mercedes at their best and McLaren at their worst

[McL-H]

This is not Formula 1 anymore. Can’t stand these regulations.

[FittingMechanics]

Not sure if I am objective but to me it looked like some drivers were pushing much harder, especially earlier in SQ1 and SQ2. For example Hamilton and Verstappen who seemed to be on the edge. McLaren seemed to be much more reserved. In the end they extracted most of it while minimizing risk of crashes (spare parts, track time).

Looking forward to the sprint, let's see if Mercedes improved in their starts.

[Emag]

They need time to dial things in. One fp session is not enough, but I guess they were confident in making things work based on recent history.

In any case, it feels like nobody got a clean lap in on sq3. Lando also dropped at least 1.5 tenths because of the bad hairpin. Probably more considering the exit was compromised as well.

Quali should give a better read on things, but I dont expect Mercedes to be beaten here by anyone.

[SilviuAgo]

@FDataAnalysis

[SilviuAgo]

For now "the only problem" for McLaren in Canada is the long straight after the hairpin. Until there, they are on par with Mercedes. But we remember last years when MCL had the same issue on that straight. I think except 2021, McLaren was not able to make a good car for long fast straights.

[Emag]

People mistake this track as simple because the fewer number of corners. This track is highly technical with important medium speed corners and critical traction zones which are hard to nail. Its usually the type of things that really make the good platforms shine while punishing weaknesses.

It is also why the midfield is further behind here.

[De Wet]

This is not Formula 1 anymore. Can’t stand these regulations.

You, me & millions more my friend.

[Darth-Piekus]

I dont have a problem with the rules personally. My problem lies with Mercedes and how they are keeping everything for themselves just to get an advantage.

[venkyhere]

I dont have a problem with the rules personally. My problem lies with Mercedes and how they are keeping everything for themselves just to get an advantage.

What did you expect as a customer team without 'own engine' ? This is what's been going on for decades.

[Darth-Piekus]

I expected equality without keeping secrets or keeping the latest engines for the whole test and then give scraps to the customers. I expect the FIA at some point to be consisted of people that arent clowns in a circus and actually enforce rules without being full of holes like a swiss cheese. Rules that are perfectly clear about what is right and what isnt and not making exceptions depending of how you are called. At least the older rules were more straight forward and the factory teams did not had to hide the fact that they kept the better engine versions. Finally if we want to make an impact it is best to reduce the car size to the size of the 90s and 00s. While I dont have a problem with that 50-50 if we want actual impactful changes we should remove the battery completely and go either V12 and V10 or V6 full turbo like in the year 1988 for some variety. I would love to see the unlimited budget return as also more tyre manufacturers and the return of pit stop refueling and unlimited mid season testing.

But enough about what I wish. It's time for the Canada sprint race. I hope for a good start (unless Mercedes fixed their starting issues) and hopefully the lower speed on the two straights wont cost positions.

[AR3-GP]

People mistake this track as simple because the fewer number of corners. This track is highly technical with important medium speed corners and critical traction zones which are hard to nail. Its usually the type of things that really make the good platforms shine while punishing weaknesses.

It is also why the midfield is further behind here.

The midfield isn't further away. Lindblad was up in the top 7 through SQ2. The total field spread in SQ1 was just 2 seconds. In Miami it was 3 seconds.

There's something strange going on this weekend because the average teammate gap is under half a tenth and most teams line up 2 by 2. It's like the drivers are passengers, somehow.