McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has expressed some frustration with the level of information his team is receiving from Mercedes High Performance Powertrains as Formula 1 entered its new power unit era in 2026.
According to Stella, the limitations of being a customer team have become more apparent than ever, particularly as teams adapt to the radically revised hybrid systems introduced this season.
Stella explained that McLaren has been pushing for weeks to gain more detailed data from Mercedes regarding the behaviour and characteristics of the 2026 power unit. The Italian described how the lack of information has forced the team into a reactive approach during testing rather than the predictive, simulation‑driven process that modern Formula 1 demands.
He stated that the discussions with HPP “have been going on for weeks because, even in testing, we were pretty much going on track, run the car, look at the data, ‘oh, that’s what we have, good, now we react.’” Stella emphasised that this is far from ideal in a sport where preparation and simulation are fundamental to performance.
He elaborated further, saying, “In Formula 1, you simulate, you know what is happening, you know what you are programming, you know how the car is going to behave.” According to Stella, McLaren has been unable to rely on this process to the extent they normally would, due to the limited insight provided by their engine supplier.
The McLaren boss made it clear that this is the first time the team has felt disadvantaged as a customer outfit under Mercedes. He explained, “Since we are a customer team, this is the first time that we feel we are on the back foot even when it comes to the ability to predict how the car will behave and the ability to anticipate how we can improve the car.”