McLaren CEO reveals major upgrade that put them in contention for the title

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:00]How did McLaren go from being practically a second behind Mercedes >> [music] >> to suddenly becoming the most serious threat to fight for the 2026 championship? Because yes, while everyone was looking at Red Bull, Ferrari, and the internal crisis that is shaking Milton Keynes, in Woking they were preparing something much more dangerous.

[00:00:17]>> [music] >> And now McLaren's own CEO, Zak Brown, no longer hides it. As revealed after the Miami Grand Prix, the team believes it has everything it needs to fight for the world title. And the most shocking thing is that this confidence appeared just after introducing an update that completely changed the behavior of the MCL 40. A package so aggressive, so different, and so extreme >> [music] >> that within the paddock many began to say that McLaren practically brought a new car. The incredible thing is not only the improvement in performance. The reality is that no one expected McLaren to be able to react so quickly. And to understand why Zak Brown's words generated such an impact within the paddock, we must first return to the beginning of this new stage of 2026.

[00:00:58]Because although today the papaya team transmits absolute confidence, the situation was completely different just a few races ago.

[00:01:06]>> [music] >> The MCL 40 started the year being a competitive car. Yes, but clearly far from Mercedes level. In Australia, the difference was alarming. Some simulations showed up to a second per lap ahead of the W17. A brutal figure even by modern Formula 1 standards.

[00:01:22]Lando Norris was barely able to rescue a fifth position, and within the team they knew perfectly well that something was not working as they expected. The problem was not just one. It was a very dangerous combination of factors.

[00:01:34]McLaren was still trying to fully understand the new Mercedes power unit adapted to the 2026 regulation. A regulation that divides energy delivery much more between combustion and the electrical part.

[00:01:45]>> [music] >> And while some teams seem to have quickly found the perfect balance, McLaren suffered especially in medium-speed corners [music] where the car lost downforce very obviously. Added to this were correlation problems, difficulties finding stability in certain long stints, and small reliability failures that greatly limited data collection during the first races. The car was stable, yes, [music] predictable, too. But, he didn't have the pace to fight forward. And this is where one of the most important decisions in this entire story appears.

[00:02:14]Because while Ferrari, Red Bull, and Mercedes had been making constant evolution since the start of the championship, >> [music] >> McLaren did exactly the opposite. Andrea Stella made an extremely risky decision, delaying the large improvement package.

[00:02:27][music] Instead of introducing small new pieces every weekend, the team opted to concentrate resources on a massive update, a kind of technical reset of the car.

[00:02:36]>> [music] >> And many within the paddock began to think that McLaren had simply gotten the initial concept wrong. In fact, there was quite strong criticism of the team because it seemed arrogant to believe that they could wait so long while Mercedes comfortably dominated the start of the season.

[00:02:50]>> [music] >> The most impressive thing is that the trust within the team changed radically after Miami. Zack Brown, who normally tends to be much more careful publicly, began to talk openly about fighting for both championships. And that in Formula 1 never happens by chance. No one makes a statement like that if they don't have extremely solid internal numbers to back up the optimism because the teams know data that we don't see, degradation, energy maps, aerodynamic efficiency, wind tunnel correlation, and apparently everything started to align for McLaren right after that update. Right now, the paddock is beginning to understand something worrying. Maybe Miami wasn't just another improvement.

[00:03:28]>> [music] >> Maybe it was the exact moment that McLaren figured out how to really exploit the 2026 regulation. And if that's true, then Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes could have a much bigger problem than they imagined. And then Miami arrived, the circuit where everything changed for McLaren.

[00:03:44]>> [music] >> Because what the team brought to that Grand Prix was not a simple aerodynamic evolution typical of almost mid-season.

[00:03:50]No. What appeared on the MCL40 was practically a complete reinterpretation of the car. And the most interesting thing is that this transformation occurred thanks to a totally unexpected situation. The cancellation of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia ended up giving the team additional weeks of work that were decisive in finishing the package on time. This extra margin allowed us to review correlations, refine simulations, and validate elements that were not yet ready.

[00:04:14]>> [music] >> What seemed like a problem in the calendar ended up becoming the perfect opportunity for McLaren. And when the car hit the track in Miami, something immediately felt different. [music] The internal data showed a much bigger improvement than even they themselves expected. The MCL40 began generating downforce much more efficiently without destroying the tires, >> [music] >> and that was exactly what they needed under the new 2026 regulation. Because in this era, it's not just the car with the most downforce that wins. The one who can maintain aerodynamic stability while correctly managing hybrid power and tire temperatures wins.

[00:04:48]>> [music] >> There was the real secret. McLaren found a much wider operating window than at the beginning of the season.

[00:04:54]>> [music] >> The key was mainly in the aerodynamic flow. Andrea Stella and her technical department redesigned critical areas of the car seeking to improve the overall efficiency of the package. They didn't just want more cornering speed. They wanted a car that was less sensitive, more stable, and much more adaptable between different types of circuits.

[00:05:12]>> [music] >> And apparently they succeeded because one of the biggest weaknesses of the MCL40 at the beginning of the year was precisely how unpredictable it became in certain medium load conditions.

[00:05:22]>> [music] >> In Miami, that almost completely disappeared. The car began to behave in a much more balanced manner, allowing Norris and Piastri to attack much more aggressively.

[00:05:31]>> [music] >> But here comes the truly dangerous thing for the rest of the teams. McLaren didn't just gain performance. It also unlocked development potential. And that changes absolutely everything in Formula 1. Because it is one thing to introduce a specific improvement and quite another to discover a platform that allows you to continue evolving without destroying the behavior of the car. As Andrea Stella explained earlier with the aggressive development of the MCL39, McLaren's goal was always to open up new opportunities for technical growth, even if that meant taking huge risks from the initial design. And it looks like they finally found that right direction. In fact, within the paddock, there began to be talk about something very specific.

[00:06:11]McLaren could right now have the best balance between aerodynamic performance and energy management of the entire grid. And this is crucial in 2026, because the new hybrid regulation heavily punishes cars that rely too much on the battery on long straights.

[00:06:25]>> [music] >> Mercedes had initially dominated because it understood before anyone else how to optimize this energy transition between the thermal engine and the electrical system. But Miami showed something disturbing. McLaren began to close that gap much faster than expected.

[00:06:39]>> [music] >> Even the behavior of the pilots began to change. Lando Norris began to look much more comfortable pushing to the limit, something that normally only happens when a driver feels complete confidence in the aerodynamic platform.

[00:06:51]>> [music] >> And with Oscar Piastri, it happened exactly the same. Both began attacking fast [music] corners with an aggressiveness that simply didn't exist in Australia. That's no coincidence.

[00:07:01]>> [music] >> In modern Formula 1, when a car conveys confidence to the driver, it usually means that mechanical and aerodynamic stability are working in perfect synchrony. [music] And that seems exactly what McLaren managed to unlock. Meanwhile, rivals began to look on with concern. Because Ferrari continues to show inconsistencies depending on the circuit. Red Bull is still trying to understand many internal problems with the RB21. And Mercedes, although it is still very fast, [music] no longer seems to have that overwhelming advantage from the beginning of the season. Suddenly, McLaren appeared right in the middle of the fight, [music] but with a very different feel. They don't seem to have reached their ceiling yet. And that is precisely what generates the most fear within the paddock.

[00:07:43]>> [music] >> Zak Brown understood it before anyone else. That is why he began to send such [music] strong messages publicly.

[00:07:49]Because when a Formula 1 CEO starts talking about future championships so early, [music] it's usually because the simulator, the wind tunnel, and the internal projections show something extremely promising. And according to everything that is starting to leak out of Woking, McLaren believes that the Miami package was not the end of the development. It was just the beginning of something much bigger. But there is something even more important behind all this. And that is that McLaren is not acting like a team that simply wants to win some races. Everything indicates that they are building a structure ready to dominate the new era of Formula 1.

[00:08:22]Because when you look at all the pieces of the project, [music] you begin to understand why Zak Brown dared to speak so openly about the fight for the 2026 championship. This is no longer just about a successful update. This is an organization that feels it has finally found technical leadership superior to the rest.

[00:08:38]>> [music] >> And this is where a factor comes in that can completely change the balance of power on the grid, the continuity of the concept. While many teams still seem stuck trying to fix fundamental flaws in their cars, McLaren is already thinking about how to evolve this platform into the future. That is extremely dangerous in Formula 1. Because when a team stops chasing problems and begins to focus solely on optimizing performance, that is normally when dominant cycles are born. This is exactly how the Mercedes and Red Bull eras began. First, they find a solid foundation. Afterwards, each upgrade simply multiplies the existing potential. And that is precisely the feeling that the MCL38 begins to convey.

[00:09:18]>> [music] >> And in the end, all this leaves us with a fairly clear conclusion. McLaren is no longer the team that simply takes advantage of isolated opportunities or depends on specific circuits to compete ahead.

[00:09:29]>> [music] >> What we are seeing right now is much more serious. The Miami update not only improved the performance of the MCL38, it completely changed the internal perception of the team and also the perception of the rest of the paddock.

[00:09:40]>> [music] >> Because it's one thing to occasionally get close to the leaders and quite another to convince yourself that you can fight for both championships in the new regulatory era. And that is exactly what Zak Brown hinted at with his statements.

[00:09:52]>> [music] >> The most impressive thing of all is the way they managed to get here. While other teams reacted race by race trying to put out fires, McLaren opted for a much more aggressive and patient strategy. They took risks by delaying updates. They endured criticism. They started the season away from Mercedes.

[00:10:08]But when they finally introduced [music] the big package, the jump was brutal.

[00:10:12]And that shows something fundamental.

[00:10:14]They understood the regulations better than many thought. Right now, the papaya project conveys something that has not been seen in walking for a long time. A feeling of control. They have technical stability, fully committed drivers, a clear direction of development, and the most dangerous of all. It still seems that they have room to continue growing.

[00:10:32]Because if Miami was just the beginning of this new philosophy, then the next races could end up confirming something that just a few months ago seemed impossible. That McLaren not only returned to the fight, >> [music] >> but could become the absolute reference of modern Formula 1. And honestly, seeing how the MCL40 has evolved, the confidence that exists within the team, and the growing concern of their rivals.

[00:10:53]Perhaps the real question is no longer whether McLaren can fight for the 2026 championship. The real question is who is going to be able to stop them if they continue to advance at this speed.

[00:11:03]>> [music] >> Let me know in the comments what you think about all this.