McLaren has 'very clear answer' on hopes of third straight Constructors' title

After a difficult start to the season, which reached its lowest point with a double DNS in China, the reigning Constructors' Champions gradually turned their campaign around, culminating in Lando Norris delivering the team's first victory of the year at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the final race before the summer break. The result underlined the significant progress McLaren has made with the MCL40 over the opening half of the season.

At the halfway point of the championship, the Woking-based team sits third in the Constructors' standings, trailing Mercedes by 159 points and Ferrari by 87 with 11 races still remaining. While that deficit makes a title challenge a daunting task, McLaren does not believe it is beyond reach.

Speaking about whether a title challenge is still a realistic objective, Stella admitted that the task ahead is a difficult one, but insisted McLaren's chances will largely depend on its ability to build on the level of performance shown in Hungary. He stressed that the development race will be decisive over the remainder of the season, with the team needing to keep introducing effective upgrades while staying ahead of rivals that are continuing to develop their own cars.

McLaren has no intention of slowing down development of the MCL40, with the team preparing a fresh batch of upgrades over the next few race weekends. While the upcoming events will feature smaller improvements, a more significant package is currently being targeted for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Beyond that point, the team's direction will depend on the progress made in aerodynamic development after the summer break, as McLaren evaluates whether further gains justify an additional end-of-season package or whether it will be more beneficial to switch its full attention to next year's car.

Technical Director – Applied Engineering Nick Houldey explained that the team is working on more than outright performance. Although McLaren was encouraged by its competitiveness at the previous race, driver feedback has made it clear that the MCL40 remains a challenging car to drive.

As a result, the focus is on increasing the car's overall aerodynamic load while also making it easier for the drivers to consistently extract its full potential. The aim is to improve lap-time performance in both qualifying and race conditions, building on the positive signs already shown while addressing the handling characteristics that still limit the package.