Juan Pablo Montoya predicts ‘it won’t be long’ before McLaren are dominating F1 again

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Reigning F1 world champions McLaren have endured a difficult start to the 2026 term, but Juan Pablo Montoya thinks it’s only a matter of time before Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are dominating the time sheets again.

For the latter, the season-opening Australian Grand Prix couldn’t have gone worse. Much to the dismay of the local fans, Piastri crashed on his reconnaissance laps ahead of Sunday’s race, which put an end to his home Grand Prix before it had even started.

One week later, in Shanghai, things went from bad to worse for the Papaya. Electrical issues with the MCL40 saw both Piastri and Norris ruled out of the race ahead of the five lights, which means that the Woking-based outfit now have their work cut out for them to defend their title.

However, the third round of the season in Japan showcased the true potential of Andrea Stella’s team. Piastri was able to claim second place at Suzuka, with a safety car scuppering his chances of sealing a win during his first Grand Prix outing of 2026.

• READ MORE: McLaren always knew they would ‘pay the price’ for renewing their Mercedes engine deal

Juan Pablo Montoya thinks it’s only a matter of time before McLaren are ‘dominating’ F1 again

Speaking via the MontoyAS podcast, former F1 driver turned pundit Juan Pablo Montoya revealed a conversation he had with one of Piastri’s engineers at the season-opener.

The Colombian is adamant that McLaren will be able to emulate the successes of their most recent campaigns in F1 again this year, even though their start to the new campaign has seemingly missed the mark.

He said, “I think McLaren’s coming. When they start rolling out new developments and new packages, it’ll be a whole different story.

“I even told one of the McLaren engineers, I bumped into Piastri’s engineer in Australia. I told them, ‘You’re not the fastest right now, but I’d bet my bottom dollar that you will be. It won’t be long before you’re back on top, dominating and winning every race.”

McLaren are expected to bring a series of aerodynamic upgrades to the upcoming Miami Grand Prix at the start of May, in hopes of bridging the gap to their engine suppliers, Mercedes.

Engineers in Woking are reportedly confident that the new components will lessen the amount of drag that the MCL40 produces, without sacrificing any tyre performance.

• READ MORE: McLaren clarify Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri contract details amid Max Verstappen rumours

Gianpiero Lambiase’s 2028 McLaren move may see a managerial reshuffle at the F1 team

The world of F1 was sent into overdrive during the five-week break in between the Suzuka and Miami rounds of the 2026 season, after it was announced that Gianpiero Lambiase would be leaving Red Bull for McLaren.

The long-time right-hand man to Max Verstappen will be moving down the pit lane ‘no later than 2028’ according to reports. McLaren are also understood to have promised the team principal role to Lambiase, raising questions over Stella’s position at the team.

Stella has reportedly signed a pre-contract with Ferrari, which was the catalyst for CEO Zak Brown’s desire to sign Lambiase, in a move that would see the Italian engineer return to Maranello after departing for Woking in 2015.