Andrea Stella, the team principal of McLaren, has sent a clear warning to the competition as the 2026 Formula One season heads into its second half. He voiced confidence that the Woking‑based outfit can sustain the pace it has finally found, after a long wait for a win this year. The breakthrough came at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the last race before the summer hiatus, where reigning drivers' champion Lando Norris delivered a dominant performance to secure McLaren’s first victory of the campaign. Norris’s triumph narrowed the gap to championship leader Kimi Antonelli to 91 points, while the gap between McLaren and the Mercedes‑run team of the Italian fell to 159 points.
To keep his own title hopes alive, Norris will also need to overtake Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Charles Leclerc, and Ferrari remain a solid 72 points behind Mercedes in the constructors’ battle. Although those margins are sizable, the impressive showing in Budapest—following a substantial aerodynamic upgrade package—has given Stella a strong belief that the team can remain competitive for the remaining twelve rounds, beginning with the Dutch Grand Prix on 21‑23 August.
When asked if McLaren could re‑enter the fight for the world championships, Stella replied, "It's a tough question, but the answer is clear. If we can keep delivering the kind of performance we showed in Budapest, we still have a lot to achieve. The key will be to keep pushing the development of the MCL40 and to stay ahead of rivals who are also working hard on their own upgrades." He added that the ultimate outcome will depend on how effective the solutions they bring to the track prove to be.
"In the first part of the season we struggled more than we expected, but once we built momentum we have been able to hold onto it," Stella explained. Looking back, McLaren entered the summer break in a very different position last year.
They were leading the constructors’ standings by 299 points, and Oscar Piastri was ahead of Norris in what looked like a two‑horse battle for the drivers’ crown. However, Max Verstappen of Red Bull, who was 104 points behind Piastri with nine races left, mounted a spectacular comeback, finishing the season just two points shy of Norris and 11 ahead of Piastri. Stella reminded everyone that twelve races remain, offering a total of 546 points up for grabs. "The gaps in both championships are large, but we learned a valuable lesson last season.
If we have built a new display cabinet for the latest trophies at the McLaren Technology Centre, we have a responsibility to keep adding to it," he said. The Hungarian upgrade package had been downplayed before the event, yet the results spoke loudly.
Norris not only took pole position but also posted blistering lap times to win the race, beating Verstappen by 15 seconds. Even though he was briefly held up by Piastri after the opening lap, the margin could have been even greater without that early traffic. Reflecting on the development process, Stella noted, "There was no single turning point; it was a growing awareness of the scale of the challenge and the adjustments we needed.
Ironically, the forced break in April gave us the chance to focus entirely on analysing the MCL40's performance and to realise where we had to redirect our development efforts." He highlighted the Budapest weekend as a pivotal moment, not just for the win but for the aerodynamic package introduced at the Hungaroring. "That package was the result of a shift in our development direction and has allowed us to make significant progress in competitiveness," Stella said. Stella also praised the collaboration with Mercedes, the power‑unit supplier. Over recent months, McLaren has deepened its understanding of the new Mercedes HPP engine and worked closely with technical partners to extract maximum performance.
"It’s been a long process with ups and downs, but it’s finally starting to bear fruit. Optimising the power unit will remain a complex task throughout the 2026 season," he cautioned. The Formula One calendar resumes after the summer break with a Sprint weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix from 21 to 23 August, with every session broadcast live on Sky Sports.
Fans can stream the action via Sky Sports NOW without a contract, canceling at any time. In summary, Stella’s message to the rest of the grid is unmistakable: McLaren has found a rhythm, and if they can keep feeding it with rapid development and effective use of their Mercedes power unit, they will remain a formidable threat for the rest of the season. The next twelve races will be decisive, and the team is determined to fill that new trophy cabinet with more victories.