McLaren · 2026

McLaren MCL40

The McLaren MCL40 is McLaren’s car for the 2026 season, powered by a Mercedes-AMG F1 M17 E Performance (customer engine). Strong in: Qualifying, Race pace, Laps per set.

Updated 4 November 2026

Fact file

Car: McLaren MCL40
Team: McLaren
Engine: Mercedes-AMG F1 M17 E Performance (customer engine)
Launch: 9 February 2026 – livery revealed in Bahrain (renders of the car on 26 January)

The car at a glance

The MCL40 is McLaren's car for the new 2026 rules. McLaren builds the car itself and buys the engine from Mercedes – a so-called customer engine. According to the team, the car is inspired by its 2024 and 2025 championship winners, but it is not a direct copy.

After 19 races the team is 4th in the constructors’ standings with 365 points. Its drivers took 2 wins, 7 podiums and 3 pole positions (starting from 1st on the grid). Its speed varied during the season: in qualifying the better of its two cars was 3.0 on average in races 8 to 14, and 5.4 in the last 5 races. In total the team declared 40 new parts for more speed to the FIA; the biggest package came at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix (7 parts).

The new rules leave little room. According to chief designer Rob Marshall, the engineers can really shape only about 150 to 300 millimetres of the car's length, because the engine, gearbox and driveshafts are fixed. He named packaging the radiators and electronics in the smaller car as a particular challenge.

Description as of 4 November 2026. The paragraph on the season is updated from the results after every race.

Technical data

Values the rules set for all teams, and details of the McLaren MCL40. Anything not officially known is left out.

Specific to the McLaren MCL40
Component	Value
Engine	Mercedes-AMG F1 M17 E PerformanceThe engine comes from Mercedes; the team does not build it itself.
Front suspension	Push-rodWith push-rod, an angled strut pushes the forces from the wheel up to the springs and dampers; with pull-rod it pulls them down.
Rear suspension	Push-rod
Brakes	AP Racing (calipers)
Fuel partner	PetronasAll teams use sustainable fuel in 2026; the partner blends it to FIA specifications.
Lubricants partner	Motul (gearbox lubricants)

The same for all cars (rules)
Component	Value
Combustion engine	1.6-litre turbo V61600 cc displacement, 6 cylinders in a V (90 degrees), one turbocharger.
Maximum engine speed	15,000 rpmThe most revolutions per minute the engine’s crankshaft may turn.
Combustion engine power	around 400 kW (about 540 hp)Clearly less than up to 2025 – the electric motor delivers much more instead.
Electric motor (MGU-K)	up to 350 kW (about 470 hp)Recovers energy under braking and adds power when accelerating. Its power is reduced on very fast straights.
Total power	just over 1000 hpOnly as long as the battery supplies enough energy.
MGU-H	no longer usedThe second generator on the turbocharger was dropped for 2026.
Fuel	100% sustainableMade for example from captured CO₂, waste or non-food biomass.
Gearbox	8 forward gears, 1 reverseSequential and semi-automatic: the driver selects each gear, the shift itself is hydraulic.
Chassis	Carbon-fibre monocoqueThe rigid safety cell the driver sits in.
Minimum weight	724 kg plus tyres (768 kg)With driver, without fuel; 726 kg plus tyres in qualifying. Around 30 kg less than in 2025.
Width	at most 1900 mm10 cm narrower than up to 2025.
Wheelbase	at most 3400 mmDistance between the front and rear axles, 20 cm shorter than up to 2025.
Aerodynamics	active wings, no more DRSFront and rear wings go flat on straights (Straight Mode, less drag) and steep for corners (Corner Mode, more downforce); early announcements called this X- and Z-mode.
Tyres	Pirelli, 18 inchControl tyres: every team uses the same Pirelli tyres.

Technical data as of 4 November 2026.

More: how a Formula 1 car works

2026 team comparison

Calculated from official timing data, average over 19 race weekends (as of Mexico City Grand Prix 2026).

Strengths

Speed over one lap (qualifying): 3rd of 11 – on average 0.45 % (about 0.38 s) off the fastest lap.
Race pace: 3rd of 11 – on average 0.61 % (about 0.54 s) per lap slower than the fastest team in each race.
Laps per set of tyres: 5th of 11 – 20.1 laps on one set of tyres on average.

Weaknesses

Top speed: 8th of 11 – 326.3 km/h at the speed trap on average.
Pace loss on one set of tyres: 7th of 11 – the lap time gets 0.001 s slower per lap on a set of tyres on average.

1st = best value of the eleven teams. The explanation is shown below each name.

2026 team comparison: McLaren MCL40
Value	McLaren MCL40	Rank
Top speedHighest speed measured at the speed trap on the straight, averaged over all race weekends. Higher is better.	326.3 km/h	8 of 11
Speed over one lap (qualifying)Gap from the team’s best qualifying lap to the fastest lap of the day, on average. 0 means it set the fastest lap itself. Lower is better.	+0.45 % (approx. 0.38 s)	3 of 11
Sector 1 (qualifying)Every track is split into three sectors. Gap to the best time in the first sector. Lower is better.	+0.53 %	3 of 11
Sector 2 (qualifying)Gap to the best time in the middle sector. Lower is better.	+0.46 %	3 of 11
Sector 3 (qualifying)Gap to the best time in the final sector. Lower is better.	+0.67 %	4 of 11
Race paceTypical lap time in the race (without the start, pit stops and safety car periods), gap to the fastest team. Lower is better.	+0.61 % (approx. 0.54 s)	3 of 11
Laps per set of tyresHow many laps a car ran on one set of tyres in the race, on average. More usually means the tyres last longer.	20.1 laps	5 of 11
Pace loss on one set of tyresHow the lap time changes from lap to lap on the same set of tyres. Wearing tyres make the car slower, the emptying fuel tank makes it faster. Lower is better; a minus means the car even got faster over the run.	+0.001 s per lap	7 of 11
Pit stop timeHow much longer a car spent in the pit lane per stop than the fastest team (driving through plus the tyre change). Lower is better.	+1.35 s	6 of 11

Top speedHighest speed measured at the speed trap on the straight, averaged over all race weekends. Higher is better.

Race paceTypical lap time in the race (without the start, pit stops and safety car periods), gap to the fastest team. Lower is better.

Pace loss on one set of tyresHow the lap time changes from lap to lap on the same set of tyres. Wearing tyres make the car slower, the emptying fuel tank makes it faster. Lower is better; a minus means the car even got faster over the run.

Pit stop timeHow much longer a car spent in the pit lane per stop than the fastest team (driving through plus the tyre change). Lower is better.

Upgrades during the season

As declared by the teams to the FIA before each Grand Prix (51 new or changed parts).

Reason given by the team: “performance” means the part is meant to make the car faster. “Circuit-specific” means it is adapted to one particular track, for example more cooling in the heat or less drag for long straights. “Reliability” means it is meant to prevent failures.

Upgrades during the season: McLaren MCL40
Race	New or changed parts
Australian Grand PrixSeason start (changes since testing)	Floor, Rear Suspension, Rear Wing (performance)
Miami Grand Prix	Front Corner, Coke/Engine Cover, Sidepod Inlet, Floor Body, Rear Corner, Rear Wing (performance) Cooling Louvres (circuit-specific)
Canadian Grand Prix	Front Wing, Coke/Engine Cover, Halo, Rear Wing Endplate, Rear Suspension, Floor Edge (performance) Cooling Louvres (circuit-specific)
Monaco Grand Prix	Beam Wing, Rear Corner (performance) Coke/Engine Cover, Rear Wing (circuit-specific) Front Suspension, Diffuser (reliability)
Barcelona Grand Prix	Front Wing (performance)
Austrian Grand Prix	Rear Corner, Rear Wing (performance)
British Grand Prix	Front Corner, Floor Furniture (performance)
Belgian Grand Prix	Rear Wing (performance) Rear Wing (circuit-specific)
Hungarian Grand Prix	Rear Wing, Floor Body, Front Corner, Rear Corner (performance) Front Corner (circuit-specific)
Dutch Grand Prix	Rear Wing, Coke/Engine Cover, Rear Corner (performance)
Italian Grand Prix	Rear Wing, Floor Furniture (performance)
Spanish Grand Prix	Rear Wing (performance)
Azerbaijan Grand Prix	Sidepod Inlet, Coke/Engine Cover (×2), Floor Edge, Diffuser, Rear Suspension, Rear Wing (performance) Cooling Louvres (circuit-specific)
Singapore Grand Prix	Front Corner (circuit-specific)
United States Grand Prix	Front Corner, Rear Corner, Diffuser (performance)
Mexico City Grand Prix	Cooling Louvres (circuit-specific)

All 2026 cars · Team page · How a Formula 1 car works