McLaren expecting Australian GP ‘performance bump’ after using ‘lesser’ Mercedes engine in testing.
McLaren didn’t have the ‘latest spec’ Mercedes engine available for 2026 Bahrain testing.
23 Feb 2026
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

The Race team rated McLaren as the third-best manufacturer after testing, and explaining their reasoning, journalist Ben Anderson said: “Last year’s world champion is not going to be the early 2026 benchmark, but it is at least mixing it with the works teams.

“By the end of the second week in Bahrain, McLaren felt tentatively confident it was competitive against Red Bull and maybe slightly ahead. Its car was certainly improved and looked a lot more consistent, but a lingering deficit seems to exist on the energy management side as McLaren’s not quite wrapped its head around what Mercedes is able to do.”

“That said, a small performance bump is expected in Australia when it gets the latest spec Mercedes engine, having run a slightly lesser version in testing. This little bit of performance limitation, easily rectifiable, is what nudges McLaren ahead of Red Bull in this ranking as they otherwise seem neck and neck by the end of the test.”

‘Latest spec Mercedes engine’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/mcl...ne-in-testing/


Norris sees no carry-over of this McLaren’s 2025 major advantage on MCL40
23 Feb 2026
Tobia Elia
GPblog.com

Lando Norris believes the MCL40 currently does not have the same tyre management advantage as last year’s car. Speaking about the topic during the press conference at the Bahrain test, the Briton admitted that, for now, that advantage has not yet carried over to the 2026 car: “Last year we also had just a pace advantage, so going into the race it was always, we could almost drive slower, things worked better, and then we could drive quicker.”

“At the minute we're a little bit off, so to match the race pace of some of the others, we have to push a bit more, and then we have more degradation. So not entirely, but I'm sure there are some things. I know there are some things that our strengths last year that will continue to be our strengths this season.”

“The car worked very well last year. It was difficult to understand it worked well. And it's still just very, very early days, but it's currently moving. The team are working hard on every area. That includes race pace, tyre cooling, all of those things. At the minute, we're just kind of improving in most areas.”

“At the minute we're a little bit off’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/norri...ntage-on-mcl40


Andrea Stella makes startling McLaren pace admission ahead of F1 Australian GP
21 Feb 2026
James Phillips
Motorsport Week

Team Principal Andrea Stella has now confirmed the team has slipped back in the competitive with an alarming admission over its true pace. “Very difficult to say,” he said to media, including Motorsport Week on whether McLaren is ahead of Mercedes and Ferrari. “There is a race simulation that I was, I think, yesterday, Oscar, and Verstappen.”

“It happened at a similar time of the day, and it was a similar pace.Often, the race simulation is actually where you can more accurately see what the genuine performance of cars is. The reason why I think we have to be careful is that depending on the time of the day, then the race simulation may be quite a lot faster.”

“Like now, Lando, he was performing pretty strongly in a race simulation, but at the same time, probably the end of day three was the fastest time the track has been across the six days.So, difficult. I think McLaren and Red Bull are probably very similar. Ferrari and Mercedes are a step ahead.”

‘Startling McLaren pace admission’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2026/...australian-gp/


Honda have now risked making the same disastrous mistake with Aston Martin as McLaren in 2015
23 Feb 2026
Tyler Rowlinson
F1 Oversteer

Honda hope to solve Aston Martin’s problems by the Chinese GP, saying that the ‘root causes have been identified’ and ‘project leaders are becoming increasingly optimistic’ that a solution can be found. Now, if that sounds familiar, it is because it is the exact same situation that Honda faced with McLaren back in 2015. During testing, Alonso, who had just joined from Ferrari, was last on the timesheets after suffering ‘electrical and control systems problems’.

Speaking via Autosport, then-Honda boss Yasuhisa Arai claimed that the issues were ‘already fixed’ after testing: “I cannot say the detail but there was small electrical trouble and also some control trouble, but not so big. We have already fixed it. We have found out what has happened, and tonight we change something and tomorrow will be much better.”

As it would turn out, McLaren’s issues got worse during the season, with Alonso and Jenson Button finishing in the points just six times between them. 2015 was the team’s worst season in their history, finishing ninth in the standings with just 27 points.

‘Same disastrous mistake’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/hon...laren-in-2015/


Aston Martin planning Australian GP update package that’s ‘not expected’ to fix testing issues
22 Feb 2026
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

Aston Martin planning ‘new plans’ to arrive at the Australian Grand Prix after testing issues. Sengul provided an update on Aston Martin’s progress on X ahead of the opening race of the season, but it wasn’t laced with the level of positivity that Alonso and Stroll would like. He said: “Aston Martin is racing against time to prepare for the Australian Grand Prix. There are currently numerous issues to be resolved on both the engine and chassis sides.”

“In addition to reliability issues, there are problems with the gearbox, cooling issues, and the engine’s drivability is also not good. Moreover, as the engines will be approved on 1 March, solutions must be found within this one-week period. Therefore, Honda is working extra hard. New parts are expected for both the chassis and the engine for Australia, but it is not expected that all issues will be resolved. That is the latest information.”

‘New plans’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/ast...esting-issues/


Honda are ‘increasingly optimistic’ they can solve Aston Martin’s woes before Chinese Grand Prix
23 Feb 2026
Ashley Hambly
F1 Oversteer

Sources in Japan have revealed that Honda are now becoming increasingly optimistic that they can find a solution to Aston Martin’s engine issues following a dismal showing from the British constructor during F1’s pre-season tests.

Honda personnel have since been working around the clock to solve the issue, and project leaders are reportedly becoming ‘increasingly optimistic’ over the matter. During the Bahrain test, the AMR26 was some 38kph behind the benchmark Ferrari engine in the speed traps, which has raised some concerns over whether Aston Martin will even be able to qualify for the season-opener due to the FIA’s 107% rule. The report also states that Honda are ‘internally’ eyeing to introduce a more ‘complete package’ in time for the Chinese Grand Prix, which will be taking place just one week after the season-opener in Melbourne.

Adrian Newey is delegating his duties as Aston Martin’s team principal to focus on his expertise. In an attempt to keep things from spiralling out of control on the media front, Newey has delegated responsibility to Pedro de la Rosa, a former F1 driver turned ambassador for the team. It allows the 66-year-old to focus on his own tasks, but it also doesn’t look good on his part due to the fact that it is one of the main duties of an F1 team principal.

‘Increasingly optimistic’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/hon...se-grand-prix/


Red Bull accused of F1 sandbagging by ‘turning down power’ in Bahrain
23 Feb 2026
Jack Oliver Smith
Motorsport Week

Red Bull turned its new Formula 1 power unit down “quite a bit” after observations about its competitiveness, according to Williams boss James Vowles. The team has continued to play down its competitiveness, insisting rivals Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren are clear of them, but Vowles was metaphorically stroking his chin with suspicion at that prospect.

“There are games being played,” the Williams Team Principal told F1TV. “Red Bull looked really good until we spoke about their power unit. Then they’ve turned it down quite a bit since then.”

‘Red Bull accused of F1 sandbagging’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2026/...er-in-bahrain/