McLaren uncover weapon in pursuit of Mercedes power unit gains

The reigning Constructors' Champions have endured a season disrupted by a series of technical problems, particularly involving the electrical systems. Mercedes has also suffered similar reliability issues, with multiple failures forcing its own drivers into retirement on several occasions.

Temple revealed that McLaren has restructured part of its organisation by creating a specialist group dedicated exclusively to power unit performance. Rather than focusing on engine development itself, the department's role is to identify every possible opportunity to extract additional performance from the Mercedes package by combining data gathered at the circuit with simulation work and detailed offline analysis.

The new group also works closely alongside race engineers, reflecting the broader shift in approach required by Formula 1's latest technical regulations, which have introduced areas of work that previously did not exist within the team.

Speaking about McLaren's hopes of winning a third consecutive Constructors' Championship, Andrea Stella admitted the challenge is a significant one but insisted the team still believes it is achievable. He argued that maintaining the level of performance shown in Hungary will be crucial, while stressing that the remainder of the season will largely be decided by the development race, with McLaren needing to introduce more effective upgrades than its rivals.

Stella acknowledged that the team did not progress as quickly as expected during the opening phase of the campaign, particularly in terms of development, but believes McLaren has repeatedly shown in recent years that once it finds momentum, it is capable of sustaining it.

With 12 races and 546 points still available, he accepted that the gaps in both championships remain substantial, yet insisted there is still plenty to fight for. Drawing on last season's experience, he said the team has a responsibility to keep pushing until the very end and do everything possible to continue adding trophies.