Formula 1: McLaren needs “unprecedented” work to be ready for the 2026 season

Stella said McLaren reviewed the way they worked last season with drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri competing for the championship and agreed that allowing them to compete with each other would continue until 2026.

The team faced a number of difficult situations while trying to work in what they considered to be a fair manner.

These included allowing Norris to implement a different strategy at the Hungarian Grand Prix, which ended with him beating Piastri to the win despite the Australian leading in the early part of the race.

In Italy, Piastri was ordered to return second place to Norris after the Briton lost it following team intervention over strategy and a slow pit stop.

There have been incidents in Singapore and Austin where their cars came into contact – with varying degrees of severity – which also required management.

Throughout, both drivers insisted that the team approach was the one they preferred as each wanted the best chance of winning the championship. Norris ended up beating Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to take the title by two points, with Piastri third.

“Last year we talked a lot about internal racing at McLaren,” said Stella. “From that point of view, we will enter 2026 with continuity – we will continue to race the McLaren way.”

“If we can achieve success in 2024 and then in 2025, what has added additional value is the way we have achieved such a collaborative, supportive and cohesive way with our drivers.

“All this led us to fundamentally confirm that the concepts of fairness, integrity, equal opportunities and sportsmanship – all of them are fundamental to the team, Lando and Oscar. They have been confirmed and strengthened, if at all.”

But Stella acknowledged there were ways the team could “streamline” processes.

“At the same time, we all realize that the amount of work required, for example, for the team and to some extent even for the drivers in terms of internal competition was important,” he said.

“So, any attempt we can make to make this racing together a bit easier would be welcome. It’s really going to be a matter of fine-tuning because once we reviewed what we’d done, we said in most cases that’s exactly what we’d do again.”

“But we have found some opportunities where we can simplify the way we work collectively.”