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Alexander Wurz believes he has been able to pinpoint the ‘main factor’ behind McLaren’s early struggles in 2026.
The 2026 Formula 1 season has been a shock to the system for McLaren as they have gone from the reigning world champions in 2025 to struggling in 2026.
After winning the drivers’ championship with Lando Norris and the constructors’ championship, McLaren appeared to be back to their best in 2025. However, the introduction of the new regulations for the 2026 season may have ended their run of form early.
In the opening two Grands Prix weekends of the 2026 season, McLaren have only scored points with one driver in the Grand Prix, but have scored points with both drivers in the Sprint Race in China.
Norris was able to finish in fifth place at the Australian Grand Prix, after winning the same race a year earlier. However, Oscar Piastri crashed on the sighting lap and did not compete in his home Grand Prix.
A week later in China, the Woking-based team were able to score points in the Sprint Race with a fifth and sixth place finish. But on Sunday, neither car was able to start the Grand Prix due to electrical issues.
Do you agree with Lando Norris’ assessment of the 2026 cars?
Alexander Wurz says McLaren had to ‘walk a tightrope’
In the first episode of the Lift and Roast podcast, Alexander Wurz was asked about McLaren’s unexpected struggles in the early stages of the 2026 season.
He believes that McLaren have hit difficulties due to the cost cap, as they ‘can’t pour that much money and resources into a single project in such a short time’.
Wurz said, “No one held them back. They achieved that short-term goal of becoming world champions, but what I’m getting at is that they’ve had to walk a tightrope.
“They simply knew full well that they had to make do with the resources available, and the main factor there is certainly the budget cap. You simply can’t pour that much money and resources into a single project in such a short time, but have to make do with the little money you have, just like most people have to manage their budget.
“But the answer is perhaps 50%, because it can happen now and then that your software, the wind tunnel CFD data, was better suited to the last set of tyres, the last underbody than it is now. We’re always talking about this famous correlation between the wind tunnel and the track.”
Is Lando Norris’ championship title defence already over?
Zak Brown has made a ‘guarantee’ that McLaren will return to winning ways
After both cars failing to start the Chinese Grand Prix, the CEO of McLaren Racing, Zak Brown, made a ‘guarantee’ to his staff at the McLaren Technology Centre.
Brown said, “I guarantee you, when we win races, which will be sooner rather than later… we’re going to be winning Grand Prix races.”
Despite Brown’s speech to the McLaren staff in Woking, the 1996 Formula 1 World Champion, Damon Hill, believes that the team are already out of title contention after two rounds of the season.
After McLaren’s double DNS at the Chinese Grand Prix, Hill said, “To win a championship this year is not going to happen.”
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