McLaren on the 'counterattack' with two teams being 'a step ahead'

Since the final pre-season test concluded last Friday in Bahrain, McLaren had time analyze the data in more detail. The Italian team boss argues the same teams will be at the front that also did well the years prior.

In McLaren's Q&A session, he explained: "With all the unknowns involved – in testing there are parameters that are not fully known, such as the amount of fuel on board or, particularly from this year, the way in which the available energy is used – I feel I can confirm what I said in Bahrain: the ‘usual suspects’ - strictly, in alphabetical order: Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull - are a step ahead of the competition."

Stella added that he believes two teams are ahead of them at the moment. "Within this leading group, we believe that Ferrari and Mercedes are a step ahead, although it is difficult to quantify how large the gap is. We will find out starting next week in Melbourne."

Stella continued: "For our part, we are happy with what we have seen in our car, but we are equally aware that some of our main competitors – it is not coincidence that all three are works teams - have done an excellent job. We need to work hard to catch up and develop the car as quickly as possible."

While McLaren is satisfied with the MCL40 so far, the Italian explained that they will play differently this year after having the dominant MCL39 in 2025.