On paper, the MCL40 is a decent, if not potentially winning car. The team won the constructors’ championship last year, and the same team built this one – so what is going so wrong this time?
McLaren has been crashing back down to earth this season.
Rant Sport writer Katie Geraghty takes a look at McLaren’s performance so far this season.
Start of season woes
Oscar Piastri failed to start in his home Grand Prix, and both cars were unable to start the Chinese Grand Prix due to electrical issues.
The potential we’ve seen in, albeit brief, glances this year shows they should have the ability to be a consistent frontrunner in an ideal world.
The MCL40 might not have the same pace as that of Ferrari or Mercedes, but it has come close – when it decides to work.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: F1 analysis: McLaren lost a possible win at the Japanese GP, according to F1 pundits
Looking up
After having a landslide season last year with 12 wins ahead of Mercedes in second place, this isn’t a hopeful start.
But the Woking-based team are currently third in the constructors’ championship, so all hope is not lost.
Things are also looking up with Piastri clinching a second-place podium at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Team Principal Andrea Stella said at the Japanese Grand Prix that Piastri’s second-place podium “surprised” the team, raising hopes that the team are crawling back to claim glory once again.
New regulations
McLaren isn’t the only team struggling this season, either.
The 2026 regulations haven’t come with an easy start, with all of the teams grappling to come to grips with the overhaul.
Aston Martin immediately comes to mind, with engine issues potentially causing “permanent nerve damage” to their drivers, according to team principal Adrian Newey.
The pressure isn’t just mechanical either: the new era of regulations has introduced cars that just aren’t as quick as they were last year, with more for drivers to struggle with while driving.
Experienced drivers have expressed frustration with the new regulations, and Racing Bull’s Liam Lawson said he was “mentally drained” following the Japanese Grand Prix, with so much more to think about when behind the wheel.
READ MORE: Tottenham opinion: Spurs chaos continues – but who can actually fix it?
McLaren’s issues
McLaren’s primary problem this year seems to be technical-based.
Lando Norris entered qualifying this weekend with just 50 laps under his belt, due to a hydraulic leak before the second practice session and an ERS replacement before the third.
Across almost all of the races so far this season, McLaren have struggled to complete clean practice programmes, leaving both Norris and Piastri on the back foot before competitive sessions even begin.
That lack of track time has become a recurring theme, limiting the team’s ability to refine their setup and maintain a consistent pace.
Some of these issues can’t be avoided. Mistakes happen, systems fail – that’s part of the nature of F1.
But the number of issues that McLaren have faced so far, three races in, is starting to raise doubts about the reliability of the team.
Time to rethink
The cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix could provide McLaren with a chance to overcome their bad luck so far.
The time off track could allow for more analysis and work back at the factory in Woking to prevent more reliability and performance issues, albeit at the cost of even less track time.
With the Miami Grand Prix up next at the start of May, the team have over a month to try and battle their current issues.
These cancellations might have come at just the right time to turn things around before getting too far into the season – only time will tell what McLaren decides to do with them.
MORE BY KATIE GERAGHTY: Small nation, big speed: Celebrating Ireland’s motorsport achievements this St Patrick’s Day
