The design guidelines for the new car were already established by Easter 2024; the car is now in Austria at a facility equipped with sophisticated dynamometers. More important than track testing: it won’t run on the first day in Barcelona

If anyone had any doubts about the actual scope of this year’s regulatory revolution in F1, the technical panel organized by McLaren at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking—comprising team principal Andrea Stella, technical director Rob Marshall, and technical performance director Mark Temple—has dispelled any remaining doubts. In fact, it became clear that planning at the design level—but above all the initial evaluation of the MCL40’s solutions—forms the foundation for building a competitive season. This is the team’s vision, with Rob Marshall revealing that the first outlines of the car’s design were drawn up around Easter 2024, allowing them to progressively, without underestimating any aspect, delve into the design of every single element—down to the last bolt or bearing—that differed from the previous car.

Essentially, they started well in advance, particularly in conceptualizing the mechanical packaging—more specifically, all the elements contributing to the power unit’s operation. This unit features a battery larger than last year’s, though this is offset by simpler packaging around the turbine, which, per regulations, no longer includes the MGU-H. The timelines for design, testing, and assembly were met, with the team completing the first MCL40 a few days ago and then sending it to AVL’s headquarters in Austria; a company specializing in sophisticated dynamometers where, at this moment, they are working to refine the base setup with which the team intends to compete in Barcelona.

SHAKEDOWN POSTPONED—  The phase of optimizing the car’s dynamic and aerodynamic setup is considered crucial, even more so than the moment the car takes to the track at Montmelò. In fact, the engineers led by Rob Marshall and Mark Temple have long planned not to make their track debut on the first day of the Catalan session, postponing the MCL40’s shakedown to the second or even the third day. This decision is not based on any setbacks or critical issues during the design or construction phase, but rather on the awareness that everyone will need to not only collect a massive amount of data on the track, but above all learn to manage battery energy, find the best methods for energy recovery, and effectively establish the necessary processes—including those related to active aerodynamics. In essence, while in 2025, the technical regulations—now mature—had allowed for convergence in performance and, above all, in technical choices, now the paths—especially regarding track performance optimization—are entirely uncharted. Based on this consideration, it is expected that, much more so than in the past, there will be an initial difficulty in understanding the team’s potential level of competitiveness. Rob Marshall and Mark Temple have confirmed that the car set to take to the track in Barcelona, despite some differences, will fairly accurately foreshadow the one we will see in Melbourne.
one step at a time—  In practice, the idea of proceeding aggressively with developments, even during testing, has been discarded or, at the very least, is not “Plan A,” as the team prefers to have clear feedback, unclouded by the introduction of new components on the car. At McLaren, they believe it is first and foremost important to be certain that everything is under control and to understand how to make the most of the car, in terms of both the PU modes and the setup. This brings us back to 2024 when, starting from Miami, with the introduction of a major development package—created only after clearly identifying the MCL38’s vulnerabilities—the Woking-based team laid the groundwork for an unstoppable climb to the top. In short, if anything, amid the uncertainty generated by the new rules, can be considered a useful legacy from the past, it is the broad-spectrum analytical approach with which McLaren is starting the new season.