Stella reveals why McLaren’s title defence began on the ‘dark side’

McLaren’s 2026 Formula 1 title defence has stumbled out of the gate – but according to team boss Andrea Stella, the reasons behind the outfit’s early struggles are as clear as they are complex.

After three races, the Woking-based squad sits third in the constructors’ standings, already trailing early pacesetters Mercedes and Ferrari.

A string of pre-race failures and a car that initially lacked sharpness have left the reigning champions playing catch-up – but Stella insists the roots of the slow start run deeper than simple underperformance.

At the heart of McLaren’s issues lies its adaptation to Mercedes’ new-generation power unit, an area that has not only cost results but also slowed development progress.

“The first part of the season presented some challenges, essentially for two reasons. The first is that it took longer than expected to learn how to harness the full potential offered by the power unit,” Stella explained.

“Furthermore, we suffered from various reliability issues in this area, which not only had a significant impact on results but also on the pace of our learning process.”

Those setbacks were painfully visible, with multiple ‘Did Not Starts’ across the opening rounds leaving both drivers sidelined before races had even begun. In a season where early momentum is critical, McLaren instead found itself scrambling just to gather data.

The cost of fighting to the finish

The second factor, Stella revealed, traces back to last year’s intense championship battle – a campaign that stretched resources and influenced the very DNA of the 2026 car.

“The second is that the design phase of the MCL40 was affected both by the fact that we continued to fight for the championship right up to the final race in 2025 and by a different approach to design.

“Specifically, we wanted to make sure that the launch spec of the car was a healthy platform for development. As we know, there is a long way to go with the new 2026 regulations.”

In prioritising long-term development potential over immediate performance, McLaren effectively accepted a slower start – one that has allowed rivals to seize the early advantage.

“These, in short, are the reasons why we found ourselves trailing behind rivals such as Mercedes and Ferrari, who arrived better prepared than us at the first round of the season.”

Signs of life amid the struggle

Despite the difficult opening, Stella is not sounding the alarm. Instead, he points to resilience within the team and early indicators that progress is already underway.

“If this is the ‘dark’ side, there were many ‘bright’ aspects. The first, let me say, is represented by the character shown by the team and the drivers, in line with what we saw in 2025 when we won both titles,” commented the Italian.

“Once again, we have faced the difficulties in a united and cohesive manner, both internally and with our partners at Mercedes HPP.”

That unity appears to be paying off. Oscar Piastri’s second-place finish in Japan ) after leading the race for 17 laps – offered a glimpse of the car’s potential, while ongoing development is beginning to unlock performance.

“In addition, we have seen in Suzuka the first signs of progress, where we secured our first podium of the season thanks to Oscar’s second place. In the background, we have also noticed that the development rate of the car looks very promising,” Stella added.

“There is still work to be done on reliability and on optimising performance, but I believe we have taken a step in the right direction.”

For McLaren, the road back to the front may be longer than expected – but if Stella’s assessment holds true, the foundations for a comeback are already being laid.

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