Andrea Stella, the team principal of McLaren, has sent a clear message to the rest of the grid as the 2026 Formula One campaign enters its second half. He stressed that the Woking outfit believes it can keep the pace it found in Budapest and that rivals will need to work harder than ever to keep up.
The British squad, fresh off the first win of the season at the Hungarian Grand Prix, saw Lando Norris dominate the race and bring the team back into striking distance of the championship leaders. Norris's victory narrowed the gap to the points leader, Kimi Antonelli, to just 91 points, while McLaren trimmed Mercedes' lead in the Constructors' standings to 159 points. To stay in contention for the drivers' crown, Norris must also overtake Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Charles Leclerc, and Ferrari remain within 72 points of Mercedes in the team battle.
Although those margins are still sizable, the dramatic improvement shown after a substantial aerodynamic upgrade in Budapest has given Stella confidence that McLaren can remain competitive over the remaining twelve rounds, beginning with the Dutch Grand Prix sprint weekend on August 21-23. When asked whether the team could realistically re‑enter the title hunt, Stella replied, "It's a tough question, but the answer is clear. If we can replicate the form we displayed in Budapest, we still have a lot to play for.
The key is to keep pushing the development of the MCL40 and to out‑develop our rivals, who are certainly not standing still, in this ongoing battle of upgrades. The ultimate result will depend on how effective our solutions prove on track.
In the early part of the season we struggled more than we expected, but in recent years, once we have built some momentum, we have been able to preserve it." The 2026 calendar features 22 races, offering a total of 546 points, so the remaining twelve events still represent a massive opportunity. Stella reminded everyone that last year’s experience is a vivid reminder of how quickly fortunes can change. He noted, "I always tell the team that if we have built a new display cabinet for the latest trophies at the McLaren Technology Centre, we have a duty to keep filling it." A year earlier, McLaren entered the summer break with a 299‑point lead in the Constructors' table and Oscar Piastri ahead of Norris, seemingly locked in a two‑horse duel for the drivers' title.
Yet Max Verstappen of Red Bull, who was 104 points behind Piastri with nine races left, mounted a remarkable comeback and finished the season just two points shy of Norris, while pulling ahead of Piastri by 11 points. That dramatic swing underscores how quickly the balance of power can shift in Formula One.
Stella emphasized that the remaining twelve races provide ample chances to close the gaps. "The gap in both championships is significant, but we remember last year's lesson well: after all, if we have a new trophy cabinet, we must do everything we can to keep adding to it," he said.
The Hungarian upgrade package, which the team had downplayed before the event, spoke for itself. Norris secured pole position and then delivered a blistering race pace to win by 15 seconds. Even though he was briefly held up by teammate Piastri after the opening lap, the margin could have been even larger without that early traffic. Reflecting on the development process, Stella explained that there was no single turning point; rather, a growing awareness of the scale of the challenge and the need for targeted adjustments.
He added, "Paradoxically, the forced break in April allowed us to focus entirely on analysing the MCL40's performance and to understand that we needed to redirect or strengthen its development in certain areas of the car." He highlighted the Budapest weekend as the season’s pivotal moment, not just because of the win but because the aerodynamic package introduced at the Hungaroring represented a fundamental shift in the team's development direction, delivering a noticeable competitive gain. Stella also praised the collaboration with Mercedes on the power unit.
He said, "Over the past few months we have deepened our understanding of the new Mercedes HPP engine and worked closely with our technical partners to extract the maximum performance. It has been a long process with ups and downs, but it is finally starting to bear fruit. Optimising the power unit will remain a complex challenge throughout the 2026 season, but we are making progress." The championship will resume after the summer hiatus with a sprint format at the Dutch Grand Prix, and all sessions will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. Fans can stream the coverage via NOW, with no contract and the ability to cancel at any time.
The next few months will test McLaren's ability to sustain the momentum they have built, and Stella's warning to rivals makes clear that the team intends to fight for every point as the title battles intensify.