McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella acknowledged the need for development following a third-place pace at the Australian Grand Prix. The team struggled to compete with Mercedes and Ferrari, with Lando Norris finishing fifth after Oscar Piastri's pre-race crash. Stella outlined priorities in power unit utilization and cornering grip.
McLaren entered the season-opening Australian Grand Prix as reigning World Champions but found themselves as the third-fastest team in Melbourne. Oscar Piastri crashed out on his out-lap before the race, leaving Lando Norris as the sole driver. Norris held off Max Verstappen to secure fifth place, while Mercedes achieved a 1-2 finish and Ferrari remained competitive throughout.
Stella noted the performance gap mirrored qualifying, where Piastri and Norris started fifth and sixth. "In fairness, the gap today was, if anything, similar to what we saw yesterday in Qualifying," he said. He identified two main areas for improvement: better exploitation of the power unit and increased grip in corners.
The team shares the same power unit as Mercedes, yet data shows discrepancies in speed. Stella expressed puzzlement over this, attributing it to challenges in utilizing the unit under the 2026 regulations. "This clearly indicates that we should be doing a better job in understanding how to utilise the power unit with the complexities that came with the 2026 regulations. So, definitely work to do," he added. Mercedes also holds an edge in cornering speed.
"Develop the car," Stella stated as the primary objective. He anticipated major upgrades in a few races to shift McLaren's competitive category, emphasizing maximum extraction from the current setup in the interim.
Regarding Piastri's incident, Stella described it as unfortunate, especially before the home crowd. The Australian had used the kerb consistently, but cold tires combined with oscillations and extra torque from a gear shift contributed to the crash. "Oscar, very unfortunate and very tough for him in front of the Australian crowd," Stella said. He praised Piastri's mental resilience, expecting a strong recovery starting in China.
McLaren plans to gather more data in upcoming races to guide their 2026 development.
