The first week of pre-season testing in Bahrain concluded with McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella providing a detailed technical assessment of the MCL40, reflecting on the team’s progress, the performance of rivals, and highlighting safety concerns that remain a priority ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
MCL40 provides a solid foundation, but Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari lead the pack
Stella opened his assessment on a positive note regarding McLaren’s progress: “Firstly, we had a very positive test with our new MCL40 project in terms of reliability and mileage. We overcame the challenges of the initial days in Barcelona.” Building up kilometers and understanding the car’s behavior remains a critical task at this stage, especially with a completely new technical cycle.
When discussing outright performance, Stella urged caution: “Regarding the power rankings, it is difficult to make definitive statements during testing due to fuel loads and engine modes.” The 2026 regulation changes have added further variables compared to previous seasons. Nevertheless, based on the data observed in Bahrain, Andrea Stella highlighted some clear trends: “From what we have seen so far, Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes appear very strong, both in qualifying-style laps and in race simulations.”
He specifically emphasized Ferrari’s performance: “The pace of Ferrari, particularly Charles Leclerc, in long runs is truly impressive. Even today, I can confirm that Ferrari’s race pace is extremely competitive; in fact, Lewis Hamilton and Andrea Kimi Antonelli were faster than us during some sessions.”
Stella concluded that the top teams are likely to remain dominant at least initially under the 2026 regulations: “I can say that these big names will continue to sit at the top in this new era.”
Safety concerns: Andrea Stella calls for urgent action before Melbourne
Beyond technical performance, Stella highlighted a regulatory and safety issue that he considers urgent: the starting procedures. Recently, media outlets like The Race reported concerns about race starts and potential adjustments to the procedures. Although a proposal was previously made, Ferrari opposed it after earlier concerns were raised by the Scuderia, leaving the issue unresolved. Stella believes immediate action is necessary: “We need to ensure that the start procedure allows all cars to have the power unit ready because the grid is not the place where you want slow cars launching.”
The McLaren Team Principal stressed that this matter is separate from sporting competitiveness: “We are not talking about qualifying speed or race pace. We are talking about grid safety.” He added: “Some issues are simply more important than competitive interests. For me, ensuring safety on the grid, which can be achieved with a simple adjustment, is an obvious choice. It is a higher priority.”
When asked about the timing of interventions, Stella was clear: “I think it is imperative. It is imperative because it is possible and simple. We should not complicate what is straightforward, and we should not delay what can be implemented immediately. Therefore, I think this is something we absolutely need to achieve before Australia.”
Overtaking dynamics remain a concern
Another area of concern for Andrea Stella is overtaking dynamics, which are influenced by the reduced DRS use and smaller speed differentials between cars. He noted that cars often travel very close together on straights, increasing the risk of incidents: “This might not be ideal when following closely and can create situations similar to past incidents, such as Mark Webber in Valencia, Riccardo Patrese in Portugal, and other events we certainly do not want to see again in Formula 1.”
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