McLaren's Stella Cautious on 2026 Title Favorites Despite Dominance

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella is refusing to label his team as the pre-2026 favorites, despite their commanding back-to-back championship wins. He argues the sweeping new technical regulations reset the competitive order entirely, making any prediction impossible until the cars hit the track.

Why it matters:

McLaren enters the new rules cycle from a position of unprecedented strength, having dominated the 2025 season. However, Stella’s caution highlights the monumental uncertainty of the 2026 reset, which combines new chassis, power unit, and tire regulations for the first time. This levels the playing field and means past success guarantees nothing, turning the upcoming season into a pure development war from day one.

The details:

• Stella explicitly stated, “You can’t say that this year, because in 2026 everything is new,” noting the lack of any reference points for the comprehensive regulation change.
• He acknowledged the strong work from McLaren’s technical team and their positive development curve but emphasized the unknown position of rival teams.
• The team’s approach is one of intense internal focus, aiming to maintain the steepest possible development trajectory throughout 2026 and beyond, regardless of their starting point.
• A potential challenge identified is McLaren’s reduced allocation of wind tunnel time for 2026, a consequence of winning the Constructors' Championship. This could hinder their ability to rapidly develop the new car in a season where in-season development is expected to be critically important.

What's next:

The 2026 season will be a true test of each team’s technical interpretation and development pace. While McLaren has the momentum and resources, Stella’s comments underscore that no team can afford complacency. The championship will likely be decided by which organization best understands the new rules from the outset and can iterate the fastest, turning the season into a high-stakes engineering battle from the first race.