McLaren team principal Andrea Stella described the team's performances in Montreal and Monaco as a reality check after reliability issues and a lack of pace.
Andrea Stella said the team had not been fast enough, particularly in race pace, and had suffered reliability problems across multiple areas of the car. Lando Norris retired in both races due to power unit and gearbox failures. Oscar Piastri completed a full programme in Monaco but the team still lacked the speed to challenge for top positions. Stella highlighted insufficient aerodynamic load on high-downforce circuits and difficulties getting the new 2026 Pirelli tyres into their optimal operating window on smooth tracks. He noted ongoing work with Mercedes HPP to resolve the issues. The team remains hopeful of a late-season turnaround similar to 2024 but acknowledged that the current trajectory in both performance and reliability is less convincing.
