'Ferrari and Mercedes still a step ahead' - McLaren boss Stella
#Formula 1#McLaren#Ferrari#Mercedes#Pre-season testing#Australian Grand Prix#Power unit#Pecking order
📌 Key Takeaways
Ferrari and Mercedes are considered a step ahead after pre-season testing
McLaren is close behind but acknowledges the gap to the top two teams
The Australian Grand Prix may see a different pecking order due to track characteristics
McLaren's engine partnership with Mercedes creates a slight competitive disadvantage
📖 Full Retelling
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella declared that Ferrari and Mercedes are 'a step ahead' following the final 2026 Formula 1 pre-season test in Bahrain last week, with the Italian noting that Ferrari's Charles Leclerc topped the timesheets by over eight tenths of a second from Lando Norris during an impressive final day of testing. Stella, speaking ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix scheduled for March 6-8, acknowledged that while McLaren 'ticked all of their test item boxes' during the six-day session, the team remains behind Ferrari and Mercedes in the pecking order. He suggested that McLaren and Red Bull are 'probably very similar' in performance, but the top four teams appear close enough that the order could change across different tracks and conditions depending on each car's strengths. The McLaren boss highlighted that the Bahrain International Circuit, where testing took place, features more braking zones compared to Albert Park in Australia, which could alter the pecking order at the first race. He explained that Red Bull's strength in deployment efficiency – using more electrical energy for longer – will be particularly valuable at tracks with fewer braking zones, as the 2026 cars harvest electrical energy when drivers are not on the throttle. As a customer team using Mercedes' power unit, Stella acknowledged a slight disadvantage since Mercedes' engine department collaborates more directly with their chassis and aerodynamic departments, while identifying engine control and power unit exploitation as areas where McLaren can still improve.
🏷️ Themes
Formula 1 competitiveness, Technical development, Strategic racing
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The Australian Grand Prix is an annual Formula One motor racing event, taking place in Melbourne, Victoria. The event is contracted to be held at least until 2035. One of the oldest surviving motorsport competitions held in Australia, the Grand Prix has moved frequently with 23 different venues havi...
Ferrari S.p.A. (; Italian: [ferˈraːri]) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and began to produce its current line of road cars in 1947. Ferrari became ...
McLaren Racing Limited ( mə-KLARR-ən), competing as McLaren Mastercard F1 Team, is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. The team is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, which owns a majority of the team. McLaren is best known as a Formula One c...
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Deep Analysis
Why It Matters
This analysis from McLaren's team principal provides crucial insight into the competitive hierarchy ahead of the 2026 F1 season opener. It highlights the technical challenges teams face with the new power unit regulations, particularly regarding energy deployment and harvesting. The assessment suggests a tight battle among the top four teams, with performance potentially varying significantly by circuit.
Context & Background
McLaren uses customer Mercedes power units
2026 F1 season features new power unit regulations focused on energy deployment
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in pre-season testing
Bahrain International Circuit hosted the final pre-season test
The Australian Grand Prix is the first race of the 2026 season
What Happens Next
The competitive order will be tested at the Australian Grand Prix from March 6-8, where different circuit characteristics may reshuffle team performances. Teams will continue optimizing power unit exploitation and driver control features throughout the early races of the season.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Stella think Ferrari and Mercedes are ahead?
Stella bases this on race simulation data from testing, which he considers a more accurate indicator of genuine car performance than single lap times.
How do circuit characteristics affect the 2026 cars?
Tracks with fewer braking zones, like Albert Park, make energy harvesting more difficult, requiring drivers to adapt their driving style for efficient power unit exploitation.
What is McLaren's relationship with Mercedes?
McLaren is a customer team using Mercedes power units, which creates a collaboration dynamic but also potential disadvantages compared to Mercedes' works team.
Original Source
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella says Ferrari and Mercedes are 'a step ahead' going into Australian Grand Prix Ferrari and Mercedes impressed in pre-season testing and McLaren boss Andrea Stella is expecting to be behind those two teams at the first F1 race; watch the season-opening Australian Grand Prix from March 6-8, live on Sky Sports F1 Nigel Chiu Sports Journalist @NigelCJourno Monday 23 February 2026 06:13, UK Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Sky Sports’ Craig Slater and Nigel Chiu assess the Formula 1 pecking order following the final day of pre-season testing in Bahrain McLaren team principal Andrea Stella believes Ferrari and Mercedes are “a step ahead” following last week’s final 2026 Formula 1 pre-season test. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc topped the timesheets by over eight tenths of a second from Lando Norris after an impressive final day and had a strong race simulation in the heat of the day. Stella thinks McLaren is "not far" behind the top two teams despite ticking all of their test item boxes ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 6-8, live on Sky Sports F1 . Ferrari in tight 'big four' battle but is Lewis Hamilton on the back foot? Who did the best lap times and most laps from Bahrain testing? F1 2026: Calendar, line-ups, new regulations, how to watch on Sky Sports Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW 📺 Asked about the pecking order, he said: "Very difficult to say. There is a race simulation that I was, I think, was on Thursday 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 [on the last day] Lando, he was performing pretty strongly in a race simulation, but at the same t...
