McLaren are preparing to introduce additional upgrades to their car during the final rounds of the 2026 Formula 1 season following a difficult spell of results at the front of the grid. According to Sky Sports, the Woking-based team has struggled to maintain podium finishes despite introducing new components in recent weeks.
The team's form has deteriorated markedly since Lando Norris failed to win in Madrid last month. Over the subsequent four races, McLaren have been unable to secure a podium finish, even with fresh parts fitted to the MCL40. At last weekend's United States Grand Prix, Norris qualified eighth and described the car in stark terms.
Easily the hardest car I've ever driven in my life, Norris said of the MCL40 following his qualifying performance in Austin.
During the race itself, Norris showed promise by running second place through an alternative one-stop strategy, but he was unable to hold position as Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton all passed him late in the contest. He eventually finished fifth, while teammate Oscar Piastri crossed the line in seventh place.
Team principal Andrea Stella has confirmed that McLaren will continue their development push despite most rivals now concentrating their efforts on their 2027 designs.
There will be some more stuff coming, Stella said when discussing the team's upgrade schedule.
Stella outlined the timing of these developments, explaining that the Mexico City Grand Prix this weekend will see minimal changes to the car.
I think ultimately we will only be able to do so across Brazil and Vegas. So, Mexico there won't be very much, but Brazil and Vegas there will be some upgrades, he added.
The team principal expressed hope that these improvements will restore McLaren's competitiveness.
Hopefully this will help us to be consistently in the fight for podiums and hopefully start to lean on the level of competitiveness that is required to fight for the victory. So, there's a few upgrades that are still in the pipeline, Stella said.
In their official preview for this weekend's Mexico City Grand Prix, McLaren confirmed their commitment to maximising performance with the current specification. The team stated they
remains committed to learning, developing and extracting the maximum from the MCL40 at every opportunity.
Following the successful introduction of changes to the front and rear corners of the MCL40 in Austin, the car will remain essentially unchanged going into this weekend's race.
This will therefore only see a small selection of parts delivered to track in Mexico City through the team's development pathway with further developments in the pipeline for the remaining rounds of the 2026 season, starting from the race in Sao Paulo, the team added.
Qualifying emerges as key weakness
Norris has claimed three pole positions during the 2026 campaign in Budapest, Zandvoort and Madrid, but his margins over second place in those sessions have been razor-thin, with his largest advantage standing at just 0.102 seconds. The car's sensitivity has been a recurring theme throughout the season, with Piastri appearing to struggle more with extracting its potential, while slow-speed corners have also proven problematic for the squad.
When discussing areas for improvement, Norris highlighted the specific challenges McLaren face.
There's been a lot of races we have shone and done a very good job. Qualifyings we have struggled, he told Sky Sports F1.
The British driver pinpointed slow-speed corners as a significant source of lost performance.
We roughly know where we need to improve the car. I think in Austin it was clear the slow-speed corners we lost almost three tenths a lap, every single lap. That's a chunky bit of lap time to lose so consistently, Norris explained.
Despite the frustrations, Norris remains confident that targeted improvements can yield results.
We need to improve in certain areas. If we can do that, I'm very confident we can have some good results but it seems to be a challenging area for us to improve as much as we like. We will keep working hard. The team are doing a very good job and we will keep trying to pick away, he said.
Sky Sports F1 analyst Anthony Davidson offered insight into where McLaren's strengths and weaknesses lie on different track layouts.
McLaren seem to suit a high grip surface and that's not what we had in Austin or Malaysia. They are better on medium to high-speed corners like Budapest, Zandvoort, Madrid, Davidson observed.
Davidson suggested that Mexico City could offer more favourable conditions for Norris.
Mexico is a track Lando likes. It's not a bumpy track, so let's see how Lando can go there this year. It's one of his best tracks and he dominated last year's race there, he added.
Norris's dominance at Mexico City last year was emphatic, with McLaren's official preview confirming he won by more than 30 seconds, with Piastri finishing fifth after starting seventh.
Championship standings and reserve driver news
The struggles in recent races have impacted McLaren's championship position. According to McLaren's standings, Lando Norris currently sits sixth on 211 points and Oscar Piastri seventh on 144 points.
For this weekend's Mexico City Grand Prix, McLaren's reserve driver Leo Fornaroli will take part in Friday's first practice session, completing the third of the team's four mandatory rookie sessions.
What happens next
The Mexico City Grand Prix takes place this weekend, with the race scheduled for Sunday, November 1 at 14:00 local time. Following Mexico, the championship moves to São Paulo on November 6–8, with the Las Vegas Grand Prix scheduled for November 19–21, providing McLaren with the final two opportunities to introduce the upgrades Stella has outlined.
