McLaren had said that they had a big upgrade package that was going to be installed for the Australian Grand Prix, but Fernando Alonso has revealed that some of those upgrades hadn't been installed yet on Albert Park.
The Spaniard impressed friend and foe by finishing fifth in Melbourne, in front of the Red Bull of Max Verstappen and the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas. The MCL33 already looks a way better car than last season's car that only managed to finish ninth in the constructors' championship.
"We identified in winter testing that the car has good potential," Alonso said after Sunday's race.
"I think there's a lot of potential we can unlock with this car."
"Some of the updates we had planned for here [Australia] will come in the coming races, so I expect a lot from McLaren."
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Most of the upgrades on the MCL33 will be to improve aerodynamics, the team already revealed back in pre-season testing in Barcelona.
"I think the partnership of McLaren and Renault, it's very new," Alonso added.
"It's only the first race, so there's a lot more to come."
Team boss Eric Boullier echoed these words, saying that the team "need to keep pushing" after a successful first race and ready the car for the upgrades that they have in the pipeline.
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British Grand Prix
Overview
Friday 03.07.26
Practice 1
11:30 AM
Sprint Qualification
03:30 PM
Saturday 04.07.26
Sprint Race
11:00 AM
Qualification
03:00 PM
Sunday 05.07.26
Race
02:00 PM
Friday 03.07.26
Practice 1
Fri 11:30 AM
Sprint Qualification
Fri 03:30 PM
Saturday 04.07.26
Sprint Race
Sat 11:00 AM
Qualification
Sat 03:00 PM
Sunday 05.07.26
Race
Sun 02:00 PM
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F1-stand 2026
Season
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | MercedesMER | 171 | |
2 | MercedesMER | 131 | |
3 | FerrariFER | 125 | |
4 | McLarenMCL | 80 | |
5 | McLarenMCL | 79 | |
6 | FerrariFER | 79 | |
7 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 73 | |
8 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 42 | |
9 | AlpineALP | 41 | |
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