McLaren plan further upgrades after struggles in Austin

Formula 1 team McLaren intend to keep developing their MCL40 car through the rest of the 2026 season, having been unable to fight at the front in recent races. Since Lando Norris missed out on victory in Madrid last month, the team has failed to reach the podium in four consecutive races, even though new parts were fitted to the car during that spell.

At last weekend's United States Grand Prix in Austin, Norris qualified eighth and called the MCL40 "easily the hardest car I've ever driven in my life". In the race the British driver ran second for a long time on an alternative one-stop strategy, but was later overtaken by Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton and finished fifth. His team-mate Oscar Piastri was seventh.

Upgrades expected in Brazil and Las Vegas

Team principal Andrea Stella said most teams are now focusing on their 2027 cars. He explained that McLaren will only be able to introduce upgrades in Brazil and Las Vegas, with very little coming in Mexico. Stella hopes the changes will help the team fight consistently for podiums and move closer to the level required to challenge for victories.

In a press release, the team said that after changes to the front and rear corners of the MCL40 in Austin, the car will remain essentially unchanged for the Mexico City Grand Prix, with only a small selection of parts brought to the track. Further development is planned from the Sao Paulo race onwards.

Qualifying a weak area

Norris has taken three pole positions this year, in Budapest, Zandvoort and Madrid, but his biggest margin over second place in those sessions was 0.102s. He said the team has shone in many races but struggled in qualifying. In Austin the car lost almost three tenths of a second per lap in slow-speed corners.

Sky Sports F1 analyst Anthony Davidson believes the McLaren suits high-grip surfaces. He noted that Norris likes the Mexican circuit and dominated last year's race there.