Stella and McLaren ready to ‘put cards on the table’ at Australian Grand Prix

11:51, 03 Mar

Updated: 13:18, 03 Mar

byOlly Darcy

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said that he and his team are ready for an "exciting but complex" season to get underway.

"It’s great to be back racing again. It’s the reason why we’re in the sport."

- Andrea Stella

The Australian Grand Prix will get the 2026 campaign underway, and the British team will be searching for a second win in as many years at Albert Park.

Lando Norris started off his championship-winning season in fine form with victory last year, becoming the first McLaren driver to win in Australia since Jenson Button in 2012.

Now, with the race weekend fast approaching, there is plenty of eagerness from Stella, who is ready to put his "cards on the table" in Melbourne.

Lando Norris celebrating his 2025 Australian Grand Prix victory for McLaren - Photo: Race Pictures

"This season is an exciting but complex challenge, and it’s great to be back racing again. It’s the reason why we’re in the sport," stated the Italian in a McLaren press release.

"We’re looking forward to finally putting the cards on the table in Melbourne and seeing where we truly stand as the first races unfold. Everybody at McLaren Mastercard has played an important role in getting the MCL40 to the track, but the hard work starts now, and we embrace the task ahead.”

“We arrive at the 2026 season opener in Melbourne pleased with the successful work completed over the last few months of testing across Barcelona and Bahrain, having covered more than 1,000 laps in nine days of running."

No real change for McLaren from pre-season

It was an impressive pre-season test for McLaren, with 817 laps completed in six days of testing in Bahrain, more than any other team.

The British team may still be looking for a bit more pace, with Oscar Piastri’s fastest time for the papaya-coloured outfit only good enough for P3 overall.

But with that fine pre-season under their belts, McLaren will not be making too many changes to the MCL40 that took to the Bahrain International Circuit, with Stella reaffirming points made to GPblog and others in Bahrain.

Oscar Piastri finished behind Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli at the end of testing in Bahrain - Photo: Race Pictures

"[Pre-season testing] has given the entire team satisfying learnings around the performance and reliability of the MCL40 at this foundation stage of its development," continued the McLaren team boss.

"The car we bring to Albert Park will largely be the same specification seen in Bahrain, with some minor aerodynamic refinements.

"We will continue working on important aspects such as weight reduction and optimisation of weight distribution, as well as unlocking further potential from the power unit."