McLaren half-season review: MCL40 stand-off sparks intrigue

Is McLaren back? That is a major F1 2026 talking point sparking interest as we move closer to the Dutch Grand Prix.

Lando Norris opened his victory account for the year in Hungary. But, we were left with a cliffhanger over how influential the MCL40 upgrade package truly was in the context of that win. It sparked differing views in the McLaren and Mercedes camps.

Upgraded McLaren MCL40 facing acid test

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McLaren went into the year as reigning double champions. But, the papaya team faced a huge challenge to defend that status due to the regulatory reset, arguably the biggest which Formula 1 has ever ushered in.

New regulations commonly spark change at the top. This proved the case as Mercedes emerged number one.

McLaren was blighted by early reliability issues, concerns over the flow on power unit information from Mercedes HPP, and an underlying lack of pace compared to that standard being set.

But, McLaren is due major credit for the speed of its response, a comeback which the team needs to rubber-stamp at Zandvoort.

McLaren’s revisions for its MCL40 in Hungary included a revised floor body design, rear wing endplate and rear corner winglets. Norris proceeded to open his victory account in impressive fashion.

It looked set to be a McLaren one-two finish, one way or the other, before Oscar Piastri was forced into retirement from the race with a broken gearbox.

Then came the big debate. McLaren boss Andrea Stella said that the team’s surge to P1 could be attributed fully to the upgrades. Mercedes was not as convinced.

The Hungaroring is a McLaren stronghold. That was the team’s third successive victory at the venue.

Now, it is on to the Dutch GP, to find out whether McLaren can continue to hang in that victory fight.

Nonetheless, going back to an earlier point, McLaren should be proud to have recaptured winning ways in the first-half of a season after significant regulatory change.

Stella has spoken of the “heavy price” paid by his team for continuing to focus on its 2025 title battles, as Max Verstappen closed in, while also balancing the clean slate that was F1 2026.

McLaren did not have the luxury of dominance while it beavered away at the new ruleset.

As for the drivers, Norris will hope to do a Verstappen in the F1 2026 title fight. He is 91 points behind P1 Kimi Antonelli. The Verstappen playbook says that is not an impossible deficit to overturn.

Hungary was a timely reminder from Norris of what he is capable of, the reigning world champion having suffered from a degree of anonymity at times in F1 2026 part one.

Meanwhile, Piastri must seek to avenge his Hungaroring misfortune after the summer break.

There had been a developing sense that the Piastri aura was fading. Norris looked to have gained an edge in these new, lower-downforce cars, with low-grip conditions known to be an area of Piastri’s game undergoing continuous work.

But, Piastri clapped back to his critics in Hungary. Without the Carlos Sainz contact and later gearbox failure, victory could have been his, even if Norris did believe himself to be much faster in clear air. Data analysis from PlanetF1.com’s resident expert Uros Radovanovic supported Norris’ theory.

It also put McLaren’s strategy choices under the spotlight again.

More on McLaren from PlanetF1.com

McLaren teases next ‘substantial’ upgrades after Hungarian GP success

Oscar Piastri has been given a stark McLaren warning as Norris pulls ahead

Scores on the doors? Let’s give a McLaren a 7/10. It was not an easy season-to-season transition for the double champions, thus cutting them some slack on the slow start. The response gives reason for great optimism in the second-half of F1 2026 and beyond.

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