Andrea Stella dismissed that the Hungarian Grand Prix of Formula 1 marked any kind of ‘turning point’ for McLaren in the 2026 season.
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The round at Hungaroring was the most positive for the team so far. Lando Norris not only secured pole position on Saturday but converted it into a win on Sunday, the team’s first in a championship far from easy.
However, even with the clear step forward with the updates, the director dismisses a key turning point. “I have to say that, from what I see, the main teams have been successful in introducing updates practically all the time this year,” he said.
“I believe this happens because the regulations are still relatively immature, and the opportunities for car development are like fruits within reach, easy to take advantage of. Therefore, I don’t think McLaren has any specific advantage like ‘oh, everything we bring works’,” he continued.
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“Everyone is doing a good job introducing successful updates now,” he added.
Still, Stella stated that the title fight will be greatly influenced by which team can bring updates in the second half of F1 2026. “It will depend more on how many updates the main teams can bring, both those already made and those planned for the rest of the season, since we are only halfway through the championship,” he pointed out.
“It is too early to say whether this is a turning point for McLaren or not. We just analyze the facts. The fact is that the updates worked as planned,” he concluded.
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