McLaren has been the standout team over the past two years, but chief designer Rob Marshall says that does not mean they start 2026 with an inherent advantage. “Everyone knows there are new regulations affecting engines and aerodynamics. But it’s not just that: literally everything on the Formula 1 cars is different this year.”
According to Marshall — who previously enjoyed success with Max Verstappen at Red Bull — that may mean there was even more work to do than anticipated heading into this new season. “Think about it: if you have to change a single component, that has knock-on effects across the rest. From wheel bearings to even fluids. Everything is different,” he said on Wednesday in Woking during a McLaren press conference.
“The most important thing for us, and every other team, is to learn your own car as quickly as possible. It’s so complex and so different from before. So don’t expect many changes to the cars between, for example, the test days and the first race in Melbourne. Because tearing everything apart to redesign it again before a single metre has been raced? No — we won’t do that.”
