McLaren looked more competitive at the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix weekend after Oscar Piastri led second practice on Friday and the team signalled imminent upgrades.
McLaren began the season poorly, with Piastri crashing before the start in Melbourne and both cars hit by pre-race Mercedes battery issues in Shanghai, leaving the team behind Mercedes and Ferrari in cornering grip.
Andrea Stella, McLaren team boss, said the MCL40 has "very high potential" but currently suffers a grip deficit versus Ferrari and Mercedes and that aerodynamic upgrades will arrive over the next couple of events.
McLaren added it is on a steep learning curve with the Mercedes power unit, noting better exploitation in China than in Australia and room to extract more performance.
Read the full article at roadandtrack.com.
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