McLaren Starts 2026 as Favorite, Faces Technical Reset

On paper McLaren starts 2026 as the team to beat: the squad enters the season as back-to-back constructors’ champion (2024–25) and with Lando Norris crowned 2025 drivers’ champion after a final-round showdown in Abu Dhabi. However, sweeping 2026 rule changes amount to a fundamental reset of chassis, aerodynamics and power-unit fundamentals, so last season’s advantages may not carry over.

McLaren’s dominant mid-2024 MCL38 and its follow-up MCL39 — which relied on very low ride heights and a particular floor concept — are likely to have limited read-across to the new regulations. Chief designer Rob Marshall has said key performance edges are “effectively gone.” Aerodynamics technical director Peter Prodromou led a major redesign McLaren described as largely new: slightly narrower and producing less downforce, and built to suit higher-rake setups and altered floor and wing rules.

Compounding the aerodynamic reset, McLaren remains a Mercedes customer under a supply partnership that runs through 2030. That customer status can create structural disadvantages versus manufacturer ‘works’ teams that design chassis and power unit together from the start of a regulations cycle. Mercedes impressed with reliability at the Barcelona shakedown, which reduces engine-side risk for McLaren, and reports suggest Mercedes will lead power-unit development in 2026 and benefit from aggregated data across its customer teams — a potential development-gap risk for McLaren.

Off track, McLaren has retained its championship-winning driver pairing of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri (third in 2025). Team principal Andrea Stella has signaled continuity of driver equality and said the team will “streamline” rules of engagement after Piastri’s remark that current practices “probably caused some headaches.” McLaren also hired Will Courtenay from Red Bull as sporting director. Those operational tweaks, combined with the new aerodynamic package and continued Mercedes supply, form the core of McLaren’s defense plan.

In short, McLaren begins 2026 as the team to beat on paper, but the technical reset, customer-supplier dynamics and rivals’ integrated development programs mean the next championship remains far from decided.