P1racenews AI automatic summary:
The 2026 F1 race cancellations may have changed McLaren’s plans
The upcoming Miami Grand Prix was supposed to be a cause for celebration for McLaren, but the F1 race cancellations may have put an end to that. Due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix were both cancelled with no replacement races brought in for rounds four and five. It means the next race will be the Miami GP weekend (Friday, May 1 until Sunday, May 3), but it also means McLaren’s neat mathematics have been skewed slightly. The reigning champions were originally meant to celebrate their 1000th race start at the beginning of May, with their Chief Marketing Officer Louise McEwen teasing something special at their pre-season launch. However, after Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s double DNS at the Chinese Grand Prix, and the two race cancellations, McLaren are only on 996 race starts. Instead of being their 1000th, the Miami GP will be their 997th. GPFans have contacted McLaren for comment as to whether the celebrations will still go ahead. The 2026 regulations shake-up has seen McLaren go from being the dominant team to the third best behind Mercedes and Ferrari. While McLaren are struggling to match the pace of their rivals, their distance behind in the standings is also the result of their issues with the Mercedes power unit. Piastri came back fighting at the Japanese Grand Prix with a podium finish, even surprising themselves at their recovery as they look towards catching up with their rivals on a regular basis.
