McLaren are the reigning constructors’ champions and they currently sit 159 points behind Mercedes. Let that sink in. Now listen to them explain why they are absolutely fine with that, actually.
The Slow Start They Did Not See Coming
Technical director for engineering Neil Houldey has been refreshingly candid about how McLaren fell behind in 2026. The team spent the final weeks of 2025 fighting off a late charge from Max Verstappen, developing the old car deep into winter while simultaneously building the new one. Something had to give, and it was their 2026 concept.
“When you look at how we went into the start of 2026, we were a little bit on the back foot compared with a couple of teams.” – Neil Houldey
A polite way of saying they got it wrong. Lando Norris sits fifth in the championship, Oscar Piastri seventh. For a team that dominated 2025, it is a brutal fall from grace.
Why They Are Not Shelving the 2026 Car
Here is where McLaren’s argument actually holds water. Rather than following the tradition of out-of-contention teams mothballing their current car and pivoting to next year, Houldey insists every upgrade they bolt onto the MCL39 feeds directly into 2027 knowledge. The 2027 car will be longer, with a revised suspension layout, and the regulations are trimming 300mm off the front floor. So the aero learning still transfers, even if the physical parts do not.
“Even if our car might get a little bit longer, even if conceptually the suspension might change, everything that we’re learning this year is very much relevant for next year.” – Neil Houldey
The logic is sound. Sitting in a wind tunnel theorising about downforce is not the same as testing real-world performance on a live circuit. Major parts are coming at several more races before the season ends, and McLaren intend to keep pushing right until the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi.
Playing Catch-Up on the Inverted Wing
There is a small sting in the tail. McLaren are the third team to trial Ferrari’s inverted rear wing concept, a trick that was sitting in the regulations all along. Houldey admitted they were “disappointed” to have missed it first. For a team built on upgrade precision, conceding a regulatory insight to Ferrari is the kind of detail that will sting in Woking for a while.
The broader point is instructive, though. The 2026 regulations are proving far less rigid than teams initially assumed, with sidepod designs and aerodynamic philosophies varying wildly up and down the pitlane. Nobody has converged on a single solution yet, which means there is genuine performance still to be found.
Damage Limitation or Genuine Recovery?
Norris won in Hungary and the upgrade trajectory looks healthy. But the midfield pecking order is shifting quickly, and 159 points is not a gap you close with floor updates. McLaren are doing the right thing for 2027. They just need to be honest that 2026 is already done as a title fight.
