Reigning world champion McLaren, based on the recent winter tests, does not yet consider itself part of the outright top, team principal Andrea Stella said after the final day in Bahrain. After a closed shakedown in Barcelona and two three-day tests in Sakhir the Italian laid out his findings. Stella pointed straight at the usual suspects, although he sees only two teams that really separate themselves from the rest.
McLaren made a strong impression in the build-up to the new F1 season. The papayas have proved over the past two years that they belong again to the sport’s elite: two constructors’ titles and a maiden drivers’ crown for Lando Norris speak volumes. Yet Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri appeared less dominant in recent weeks than they did last season. According to Andrea Stella, McLaren still sits at the front of the pack, but it faces a small deficit to Ferrari and Mercedes.
“Broadly speaking it was a positive test period,” Stella told the press in Bahrain on Friday. “Here in particular the car proved very reliable. We were able to tick off almost all the items on our test programme.” That reliability allowed McLaren to accumulate heavy mileage and collect valuable data. “At the moment we can say we have a good understanding of the car’s potential and that we can exploit it,” he continued. “We were able to raise the pace a little each day. Because we could test sufficiently, we had the space to experiment with set-up, aerodynamics, tyres and the use of the power unit. That is of course crucial.” The revised engines raised questions ahead of 2026, but the Mercedes power unit McLaren runs looked reliable for now.
Ferrari and Mercedes set the pace
Stella is reluctant to overstate things. Although it’s difficult to make definitive calls on the pecking order this early, the McLaren team principal slots his team behind Ferrari and Mercedes. “This final test week confirmed that Ferrari and Mercedes run the show,” he admitted. “I think McLaren isn’t far behind. It’s good to see we’re part of the top four, but those two teams seem to have a small advantage at the moment.” He was less certain about the relationship with Red Bull. “That’s hard to say,” he replied when asked. “Oscar (Piastri, ed.) and Verstappen ran race simulations on Thursday at roughly the same time and were about equally quick. That’s why I think McLaren and Red Bull are close to each other, probably a step behind Ferrari and Mercedes.”
Ferrari, in the shape of Charles Leclerc, posted the fastest time of the week on Friday. The Scuderia left a particularly strong impression on the final day in Bahrain. That performance came after the introduction on Thursday of a striking, rotating rear wing. The radical design turned heads and could give Ferrari a decisive edge on high-speed circuits. Many observers now put the Scuderia level with Mercedes, which not only looked competitive in the preseason but also logged the most mileage.
