LONDON: McLaren will introduce a “completely new” car when the Miami Grand Prix kicks off next month, team principal Andrea Stella said.
The overhaul, focused heavily on aerodynamic upgrades, is part of a broader development plan that will also extend into the Canadian round, with Stella saying the changes would effectively produce a new version of the MCL40.
“There was always the idea to deliver a completely new car, especially from an aerodynamic upgrades point of view, for the North American races,” he told reporters.
The move comes after a disrupted start to the season, with races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia cancelled due to regional tensions, leaving Miami as only the fourth race of the campaign.
So far, Mercedes have dominated, winning all three races, including the most recent in Japan where Kimi Antonelli edged out McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
Despite trailing in the standings, McLaren remain optimistic the upgrade package can close the gap, though Stella expects rivals to bring similar improvements.
“It will be a check on who has added more performance within the same timeframe,” he said.
Chief designer Rob Marshall downplayed concerns over McLaren’s reduced wind tunnel and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) allocation, which is limited by their recent championship success.
“If you approach development methodically, you focus only on what works,” Marshall said. “We’re not in the business of nice-to-have — we’re in the business of what actually delivers performance.”
McLaren, constructors’ champions for the past two seasons and winners of last year’s drivers’ title with Lando Norris, currently sit third in the standings as they look to regain momentum.
