F1 fans have made their minds up after hearing McLaren fire up their 2026 car for the first time

Follow us on Google Discover

The majority of F1 teams are already completing their final preparations ahead of the first pre-season test in Barcelona next week.

McLaren have just fired up their new Mercedes power unit at their factory in Woking for the first time, and have posted it on social media.

Will they be able to defend both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships this year? The 2026 F1 regulations could be a significant challenge.

Being the defending champion with the number one on his car is a new sensation for Lando Norris, while Oscar Piastri is looking for a slice of redemption.

Where do you think Lando Norris will rank among McLaren’s greatest drivers when he retires?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

Piastri is optimistic about McLaren’s hopes and backs his team to produce a fast car, no matter what set of rules are thrown at them.

Teams have to avoid a ‘PR disaster’ at the pre-season test in Barcelona next week. Reliability concerns could leave them sidelined for much of the running.

READ MORE: McLaren doubt their one ‘excellent’ advantage is enough for Lando Norris to defend his F1 title

F1 fans think McLaren’s 2026 F1 car will be a ‘winner’ after hearing it for the first time

Norris could become a multiple champion, after he drew comparisons to Michael Schumacher by 1996 winner, Damon Hill.

Retaining a title at the start of a new set of rules has to be one of the most difficult things to achieve. The last person to do that was Max Verstappen between 2021 and 2022.

Speaking beneath McLaren’s post on X (formerly known as Twitter), fans have already heard enough to know what McLaren’s fate might be this season.

“Sounds like a winner,” replied one excited fan. “That was a miles better engine launch than what Tractoria Ferrari posted,” added another.

Someone else injected some sarcasm by saying, “It works, always a good start,” while another individual complimented the sound of the unit: “Sounds really good… love that throaty sounds… triple champs confirmed.”

The consensus appears to be that winning is already set in stone for those at Woking, as another fan said: “2026 champions just fired the car up for the first time.”

And finally, there was one more person in agreement with everyone else, “Time for the champions to win again.”

READ MORE: Max Verstappen suggests Oscar Piastri sold his ‘soul’ by listening to McLaren team orders

How McLaren have prepared well for the 2026 F1 season

Looking back on last year, one of the main reasons why the title fight ended up being anywhere near as close as it was came down to them giving up on development.

Well, they didn’t just give up, but they did make a concentrated effort to focus on their 2026 car instead, which allowed Red Bull to close the gap.

In the end, it looks to have been a gamble that just about paid off, depending on whether they turn up at the first race and are competitive.

They won’t necessarily bring the car they’re using all year to testing, and might look to hide some of their innovations until the very last second in Melbourne. That’s the same for all teams, though.