Emag wrote: ↑08 Mar 2026, 09:48
AR3-GP wrote: ↑08 Mar 2026, 09:33
I have to think that Mclaren is working on a "Miami update" in the next couple of races.
I agree that the project seems to be at a very immature state in all areas. Mclaren was trailing when they missed the first days of the Barcelona shakedown, and there is more evidence of that when Lando Norris didn't have a spare front wing for qualifying.
I'm going to throw in a wild theory I conjured up during Barcelona, but did not say it at the time.
And just in case some people take it a bit too seriously, I'll just put a disclaimer here. This is just speculation on my part based on my own perception. You don't have to agree with it.
Basically, I think McLaren's relatively slow start to the 2026 season could stem from them investing significant development time into a concept that ultimately turned out to be a dead end. They may have pivoted quite late to the current design, which left them short on refinement time compared to rivals. That would explain the delayed arrival at the Barcelona shakedown (they skipped the first couple of days to squeeze out every last bit of development back at the factory, by their own admission) and why the MCL40 looks, and I will emphasize here again, at least to my eyes, a bit more basic or conservative on the surface aero compared to the other top teams.
When McLaren announced they'd be late to Barcelona, my gut feeling was that they'd undergone a major late-stage philosophy shift, pushing everything right up against the deadline. The car was literally being finalized and built right up to the test, with no prior shakedown mentioned. Combine that with their statement that this is essentially the spec they'll race from the start of the season, and it gave me this immediate "that's it?" vibe on reveal day. Not because it lacks aggression, but because the aero surfaces feel a little too safe, straightforward, and perhaps underdeveloped for a team coming off a championship, almost like they had to rush the final iteration after scrapping or shelving something else.
Of course, I re-iterate here, this is pure speculation on my part. There's no concrete evidence or insider leaks pointing to a dud concept or dramatic mid-development U-turn, it's just a theory put together with the late test debut, the "juvenile"/basic look of the car, and the team's own comments about maximizing development time pre-track.
My intuition regarding the car hasn't really changed since seeing it roll out. I was basically simply waiting for confirmation that they're indeed in the back foot here. I do admit though, that I thought the gaps at the front would have been smaller than what we saw here in Australia. For all of them, not just McLaren.
