McLaren has started the season slowly, but a discovery and clear instruction from the boss could change all that.
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella disclosed the team’s struggles with potential tyre graining while emphasizing the need to catch up with Mercedes and Ferrari.
The MCL40 car has shown to be the third-fastest in the 2026 season, despite setbacks such as Oscar Piastri’s DNS in Melbourne and issues with the Mercedes power unit in China.
During the race in Japan, Piastri demonstrated strong performance, challenging the Mercedes cars and only losing the lead due to a pit stop timing advantage of Kimi Antonelli.
Stella highlighted McLaren’s need to improve tyre management compared to its rivals, particularly in addressing front tyre graining issues.
While acknowledging the performance advantage of Ferrari and Mercedes, Stella reiterated McLaren’s commitment to enhancing the chassis performance to consistently compete at the front.
