McLaren reveal MCL40 'course correction' after rival investigation

Lagging behind Ferrari and championship leaders Mercedes until Budapest, McLaren brought four performance-related upgrades to the Hungaroring, including a revised rear wing endplate, and a new floor and board. While the race was not without its controversies, Lando Norris pulled off a supreme drive from Pole Position to deliver the reigning world champions' third straight win in the capital.

Having held off the major upgrades until the Hungarian GP, Stella revealed the Woking team were still not expecting to be so dominant around one of their favourite tracks on the calendar, but expressed hope the result means McLaren are now "back in this race of upgrades while fighting for the lead."

Speaking to media post-Hungary, including GPblog, Stella said: "We were thinking that this lap time step would not necessarily have been enough to be on Pole Position at the Hungaroring, and definitely did not think they would be enough to have such a strong pace in the race.

Focusing more closely on the impact of the Hungarian GP upgrades, Stella revealed they marked the introduction of "a slightly different concept" in certain areas of the MCL40, inspired by the team's rivals such as Mercedes and Ferrari and implemented to "correct the course" of the car.

Stella explained: "I think the main aspect of these upgrades is that they introduce some parts that follow a slightly different concept in some areas of the car. We realised after we delivered the MCL40, and also to some extent looking at the concepts that were present in some cars that were faster than us, that we needed to correct the course.