[Saba Sports News] Against the backdrop of an inconsistent start to the 2026 season, McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella has made it clear that the car’s full potential has yet to be unlocked, but the team now has a clear direction for improvement and is confident of making a breakthrough in the upcoming races.McLaren endured a series of setbacks early in the season. Oscar Piastri failed to start the Australian Grand Prix, while technical issues forced him to retire from the Chinese Grand Prix, disrupting the team’s overall rhythm. However, the team showed clear progress at the Japanese Grand Prix. Piastri led the race early on and went wheel-to-wheel with George Russell, and although the timing of the safety car prevented him from taking victory, the car already had race-winning pace.Stella noted that the main weakness of the MCL40 remains its cornering grip, with the team still lagging behind Ferrari and Mercedes in this area. In addition, the team has yet to optimise the efficiency of its power unit, another key factor limiting its overall performance. But Stella stressed that the team is continuing to work with its power unit supplier to better unlock the system’s potential, with McLaren’s true performance expected to be unleashed as early as the May races.
In my opinion, the calendar gap created by the cancellation of the two Middle Eastern rounds has given all teams extra time for development. This window is particularly crucial for McLaren, allowing it not only to accelerate technical upgrades but also to regroup after a high-intensity start to the season.