McLaren have confirmed they will bring a “significant upgrade package” across the upcoming double-header of races in Belgium and Hungary before Formula 1’s break.The reigning constructors’ champions have so far made a disappointing defence of their title, falling 154 points behind leaders Mercedes after nine rounds of the season.
The team’s only podium across the last five rounds came when reigning world champion Lando Norris was third in Barcelona, with McLaren largely unable to match the pace of Mercedes and Ferrari.
However, there is reason for hope for Norris and his team-mate Oscar Piastri, with the team confirming in their official preview ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix that new parts are coming.The team said: “As part of the MCL40’s development pathway, this weekend will see the introduction of a new rear wing which will be tested and evaluated in Friday’s practice sessions at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
“Both MCL40 race cars will also be fitted with a new ICE unit, the third of the season, supplied by Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains that includes some different specifications introduced in order to improve the reliability.
“These made their debut with the works team at the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix and then with the other two customer teams at Silverstone.”
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Highlights from the 2026 British Grand Prix
While McLaren will hope for some upturn in Belgium from the new rear wing and power unit, there would appear to be greater hope tied to the more “significant” car upgrades coming in Hungary a week later.The preview continued: “The team arrives in Belgium fully focused on unlocking the car’s absolute potential before a significant upgrade package is introduced for the Hungarian Grand Prix later this month.”McLaren technical director for applied engineering, Neil Houldey, warned that the team aren’t “expecting any big change” in performance at Spa.Houldey said: “We’re confident that this update will add a bit of performance to our car, but we are fully aware that after a difficult British Grand Prix, mainly in terms of pure performance, even this round won’t be that easy, so we won’t be expecting any big change in terms of competitiveness.”
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2026-07-15 13:00:00
