Martin Brundle warns Mercedes that McLaren are ‘very excited’ about their upcoming upgrades

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Martin Brundle has sent a stern warning to Mercedes that McLaren are ‘very excited’ about their upcoming upgrades.

Mercedes have clearly been the dominant team so far in the 2026 Formula 1 season, winning all five Grands Prix.

However, their rivals, such as McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari have been working around the clock to bring upgrades in order to close the gap to the Silver Arrows.

This weekend, Ferrari are expected to challenge Mercedes at the Monaco Grand Prix, where the Brackley-based team’s power unit advantage is likely to be neutralised.

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Martin Brundle says McLaren are ‘very excited’ about their upcoming upgrades

Speaking ahead of FP1 on Friday, Sky Sports F1 expert Brundle revealed that McLaren are feeling ‘very excited’ about their upcoming upgrades for the MCL40. 

The 67-year-old, who drove for teams like Williams, Brabham and Benetton during his F1 career, stated that McLaren are feeling confident.

He also said that although they have had a brilliant start, Mercedes are unlikely to run away with both titles.

Brundle said on Sky Sports F1: “Ferrari are going to get a leg up with the power unit under what is called ADUO and McLaren are very excited about how they are developing and what is in the pipeline.

“Mercedes won’t stand still, McLaren are confident, Ferrari, I think, have probably got the best chassis out there right now, and Red Bull are coming on strong too.

“I don’t think it’s going to be a silver car all the way, but my goodness, they have got a pretty good head start.”

READ MORE: David Coulthard reveals how McLaren privately rate their Monaco Grand Prix chances versus Ferrari

It has been noted that McLaren have brought several upgrades to this weekend’s race in Monaco.

As per Sky Sports, McLaren have introduced a number of circuit-specific changes, such as a new engine cover, front suspension, beam wing and rear wing.

Meanwhile, the rear of the car has undergone a performance-related update, with the aim of redirecting airflow.

As things stand, McLaren are 113 points behind Mercedes in the 2026 F1 standings and they will need their upgrades to work instantly if they are to mount a serious title challenge.

Speaking ahead of the weekend, Norris played down McLaren’s chances around Monaco due to the nature of the track not entirely suiting the MCL40. 

However, Anthony Davidson spotted one key MCL40 trait that could be McLaren’s secret weapon around the Circuit de Monaco.