From papaya rocketship to rulebook reset: McLaren believe they can dominate in 2026 – Formula One is emerging from an era where once the works based teams were dominant, with McLaren now proving you can be a power unit customer and yet beat the manufacturer’s team who designs the powertrains. In fact the legendary boss of the Woking based team said when they agreed an exclusive deal with Honda to supply their V6 turbo hybrid’s, that “have to have a strong OEM behind you which has the technology and capability to produce a winning engine”, to win F1 championships.
Ironically, the reunion of the once dominant pairing from the late 1980’s never fired on all cylinders, with Fernando Alonso famously describing his Japanese power unit as “very embarrassing.” At the 2015 Japanese Grand Prix the Spaniard was easily overtaken by the Sauber of Marcu Ericsson on lap six of the Grand Prix, only for Alonso to sigh over team radio, saying “It feels like GP2. Embarrassing. Very embarrassing. I’ll do my best…”
In another twist of ironic fate, Fernando and his Aston Martin team will be running Honda power in 2026, and Fernando has been reminded countless times of his comments from Suzuka. “Now Honda wins a race and I receive a lot of messages that read: ‘GP2 engine wins now, it should be a sad day for you.’ I’m very happy [for Honda] , but the engine I had in the car was not the same as the one winning in Brazil [in November].”
Aston Martin a ‘works’ team in 2026
Prior to signing for 2026, Aston Martin even asked Honda whether there would be a problem with working Ince again with their Spanish driver. HRC president, Koji Watanabe magnanimously said when the deal was announced. “When I worked with him from 2015 to 2017, it was a very difficult situation for both Honda and the team. It was a particularly frustrating period in our history, and there were times when our relationship was strained.
“But, I think we have become stronger because we overcame that frustration. Alonso has also been very active since then. I’m glad that we can overcome that painful experience together and fight together for victory once again. I hope that we can aim for the championship together and win together.”
So Aston Martin head into 2026 now a Honda works style outfit, while McLaren will remain with Mercedes built power units and seek to beat their Powertrains supplier as they have done last year and this. Much has been written about the HUGE regulation changes coming for next year, with Adrian Newey describing them as a “huge challenge” and the biggest in living memory adding also they are “interesting and slightly scary.”
The last time the F1 power units underwent a huge change, it was Mercedes who became the dominant team having designed the best powertrain. However, McLaren believe they are at no disadvantage given the engineering principles they have established over the past two years, will transfer into F1’s new future.
McLaren proving customer F1 teams can win
McLaren have been dominant during 2025 with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri trading wins at the front while rivals Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull struggle to keep pace. Heading into the summer break, McLaren holds a commanding 299-point lead in the Constructors’ standings, with Piastri on six victories and Norris on five. Only George Russell and Max Verstappen have managed to interrupt McLaren’s monopoly on Sunday afternoons.
Team principal Andreas Stella, speaking to Motorsport.com, explained that McLaren’s recent progress has been built on principles that apply across different technical eras. “One is the technical fundamentals whereby we pursued aerodynamic efficiency, interaction with the tyres, efficient cooling. It is universal,” he said.
He added that while some know-how will inevitably be reset with the new rules, much of the methodology that produced McLaren’s leap forward will remain valuable. “There’s a part of the know-how that is transferable to the work on 2026 and there’s a part of the know-how that you have to reinvent,” Stella admitted.
“Now we know how we can pursue aerodynamic efficiency on this generation of cars, but this is the result of many, many elements, iterations, an accumulation of knowledge. Part of which is relevant for this floor, which works in ground effect with the fences and with the side wings, but next year’s floor is completely different.”
McLaren boss believes they can dominate in 2026
The McLaren boss acknowledged that the new floor regulations will erase some of the team’s current advantage. Much of the downforce on the F1 cars since 2022 has come from what is known as ground effect. But the new 2026 floor designs will lose much of their sophistication and so in this aspect its back to basics for all the teams.
“You have to generate this knowledge again. From this point of view, that’s not transferable,” said the Italian. “But some aspects of the methodology or how you generate this knowledge, I think that will be transferable. So, the fundamental reasons why we are in this strong position now, I think there’s a large quantity that is transferable, and there’s a certain amount that somehow will be lost.”
This of course means 2026 could provide a natural levelling of the field, offering a reset for rivals who have spent much of the past two seasons chasing papaya shadows. The Judge notes that Andrea Stella’s calm confidence is exactly what you would expect from the man guiding McLaren’s renaissance. But strip away the technical language and what he really means is: “Yes, we’ve built a rocket ship, but next year the FIA have kindly given us new blueprints, so we’ll all be back with our pencils and rulers again.”
Yet McLaren are right to be bullish. Teams that have mastered the art of extracting performance through process, rather than luck or a single clever concept, usually weather regulation changes well. But history is filled with examples of great teams tripping over a rules reset. Just ask Mercedes in 2022, or Red Bull in 2014.
Albon shock return to Red Bull?
Red Bull shareholders now making driver lineup decisions – Max Verstappen has finally confirmed he will remain at Red Bull Racing for the 2026 Formula One season. Last time out in Hungary, he put wildfire rumours to bed that he would be joining the Mercedes team next season.
That said, Verstappen had done his fair share of stoking the fires of suspicion, by refusing week after week to give a direct answer when asked about where he would be racing in future. Now the Verstappen drama is resolved, the attention will fall upon his team mate Yuki Tsunoda who is more than struggling with the difficult RB21.
Tsunoda with just seven points since joining Red Bull in round three this year, is heading to become the Red Bull team mate who makes the least contribution to the team’s championship since Verstappen joined the team in 2016. He replaced Liam Lawson, who was initially recruited to replace Mexican driver Sergio Perez, but survived just two race weekends…. READ MORE
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
