McLaren top executive Neil Houldey predicts that there is still a lot of ‘work to be done’ for the British team in the coming races. The MCL40 with Lando Norris behind the wheel finished the Australian GP in fifth, more than 51 seconds behind winner George Russell. According to technical director Houldey, McLaren needs to improve cornering grip, among other things: ‘In the coming races, we will continue to focus on this’.
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More than fifth place for Lando Norris was not in the cards for McLaren during the Australian GP. It takes some getting used to for the team that has almost consistently competed for race victories over the past two seasons. According to the reigning world champion, it was therefore ‘painful’ to see the gap to Mercedes and Ferrari in Melbourne. The message from Norris is therefore clear: the MCL40 must be improved further.
Neil Houldey – technical director at McLaren – agrees with the driver. “We have collected and analyzed a lot of data in various areas since the MCL40 first appeared on the track in January,” the top executive explains in the preview for the Chinese GP. “The first race of the season last weekend in Australia has provided the team with even more valuable information as we continue our journey of development and learning under the new regulations.”
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‘Work to be done’
The MCL40 drove – just like the other 2026 cars – for the first time under race conditions at the Albert Park Circuit. “We realize as a result that there is still a lot of work to be done and we continue to work hard to further improve the performance of the power unit,” Houldey continues. “In addition, we are also paying extra attention to things like improving cornering grip. In the coming races, we will continue to focus on this while striving to get maximum performance out of our current configuration. The team, both at the track and in Woking, is putting in a lot of effort to develop the car, but we are aware that it will take a few more races before we can implement major upgrades on the track.” The McLaren top executive hopes that the lessons learned from Melbourne will help the British team be more competitive in Shanghai.
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