McLaren Struggles in Melbourne – Brundle Analysis
1. Australian GP Recap
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McLaren results: Lando Norris finished 5th, 51 seconds behind George Russell.
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Oscar Piastri retired after a formation lap crash at Turn 4 due to a combination of cold tyres, a power spike, and kerb use.
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McLaren was left running a single car for much of the race, severely limiting data collection and race strategy options.
2. McLaren’s Observations
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Team principal Andrea Stella highlighted a pace deficit compared to the Mercedes works team:
“We remain a little puzzled by the difference we see in the data between the speed of our car and the speed of other cars using the same power unit.”
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Stella emphasized the need for better understanding and collaboration with Mercedes HPP to optimise the 2026 regulations.
3. Brundle’s Analysis
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Two main issues for McLaren:
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Power Unit Understanding – fully exploiting Mercedes’ power unit potential like the works team.
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Aerodynamic Upgrades – the MCL40 needs aero improvements to compete at the front.
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Brundle highlighted Norris’ performance as promising:
“Lando was finding chunks of time with different battery harvesting and deployment… flying along nicely at the end, albeit with fresher tyres than the four ahead of him.”
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Regarding Piastri’s crash, Brundle noted it was caused by unexpected power surge + cold tyres + kerb, a harsh but understandable error:
“At McLaren they were already down to one car even before the start… that was brutal for him and a great many in the crowd at his home GP.”
4. Key Takeaways
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McLaren is behind the works Mercedes team in both engine optimisation and aero development.
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Data gathering from a single car (Norris) will slow progress until both drivers can consistently complete races.
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Upgrades in aerodynamics and power unit integration are critical to challenge Mercedes and Ferrari in 2026.