McLaren brings biggest Baku upgrade as Marshall predicts four-way battle for victory

The reigning constructors' champion heads to Baku having re-established itself among Formula 1's leading contenders after a difficult opening phase to the campaign.

After failing to claim a victory in the first 10 grands prix of the season, the team has come into form, with Lando Norris claiming three pole positions at the last four races and only being denied a third win by the unfortunate timing of a virtual safety car last time out in Madrid.

A new floor is expected, aimed particularly at improving efficiency and addressing the car's weakness in slower corners. McLaren will also bring a new version of its Macarena-style H-Wing. The rotating rear-wing concept was removed in Madrid because that specification did not suit the required downforce level. For Baku, McLaren has developed a new version for a slightly higher-downforce range, although the very long straight means the team could still revert to the flatter Monza specification for the race.

Chief Technical Officer Rob Marshall described the scale of the challenge in Baku.

All four leading teams are in with a shot of victory in Azerbaijan, making execution as important as outright pace around one of Formula 1's least forgiving venues.

Marshall conceded the team has not always accurately anticipated its level of performance this year. "We are still learning about these cars at every event, and we have both overperformed and underperformed against our expectations at different races this season," he added.

McLaren's ongoing push comes as teams increasingly divide resources between the current campaign and development of their 2027 cars. Despite that crossover, Marshall said there was no intention of easing the MCL40 development programme while victories remain within reach.

Technical director Neil Houldey had previously said that smaller updates would lead into a more substantial package for Azerbaijan, and that the team would then decide whether it was worth building another package beyond Baku. The alternative, he said, was to concentrate resources on the 2027 car.

Heading into Round 15, McLaren sits on 306 points in the constructors' standings, 52 points behind second place. Kimi Antonelli's championship advantage stands at 81 points over George Russell, with Hamilton and Norris now more than 100 points behind. As GPblog reported, the Azerbaijan GP will also test the AI-driven energy management systems that Oscar Piastri has called a growing concern for drivers.