During the 2026 Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain, McLaren reported progress in reliability and mileage but identified key areas for improvement, particularly in power unit efficiency. Lando Norris acknowledged that the team trails Red Bull and Ferrari, while team principal Andrea Stella called for discussions on safety concerns related to race starts and overtaking. The testing concluded with Mercedes posting the fastest overall time.
The first 2026 Formula 1 pre-season test wrapped up in Bahrain after three days, with McLaren accumulating significant mileage but expressing caution about their competitive standing. Despite leading the laps completed charts, the team is not overly optimistic, as Lando Norris noted that McLaren's MCL40 lags behind Red Bull and Ferrari in performance.
Norris, who finished second on Day 3 with 149 laps, half a second behind Charles Leclerc's fastest morning time, praised Red Bull's power unit. "They have a very good power unit by the looks of things," Norris said. "They deploy and have a lot of efficiency. ... The Red Bulls seem to have done a very good job, and the Ford powertrain seems to be very strong. ... They're a good step ahead of us." He added that the car requires more efficiency, stating, "At the minute, we just need more efficiency, I think."
McLaren's technical director for engineering, Neil Houldey, emphasized the importance of optimizing energy deployment and harvesting. "Understanding where to deploy, where to harvest is going to be really important," Houldey said. He expressed confidence in Mercedes High Performance Powertrains (HPP), noting, "I've no doubt that we'll get the deployment that we need to be competitive this year."
Team principal Andrea Stella described the test as "extremely positive" for reliability but avoided ranking McLaren among the top teams. He also raised safety issues, urging "responsible" talks with the FIA and other teams. Concerns include race starts, where drivers must spool the turbo for 10 seconds without over-charging the battery, potentially leading to stationary cars on the grid. Stella cited practice starts where Oscar Piastri and Alex Albon failed to launch, and warned of risks from sudden slowdowns during energy harvesting, referencing incidents like Mark Webber's 2010 crash in Valencia and Riccardo Patrese's 1992 incident in Portugal.
"We need to make sure that the race start procedure allows all cars to have the power unit ready to go," Stella said. "Starts, overtaking, and launches are the three situations that we need to look at with a great level of attention."
Mercedes topped the overall timesheets, while McLaren stated, "We have some work to do to find performance." Norris also responded to Max Verstappen's criticism of the 2026 cars, which the Red Bull driver called "not a lot of fun" and akin to "Formula E on steroids." Norris countered, "Nothing to complain about. ... If he wants to retire, he can retire."