McLaren have ‘unshakeable confidence’ their Miami aero upgrades will not force a tyre ‘sacrifice’

Follow us on Google Discover

McLaren are now confident that their aerodynamic updates for the 2026 Miami Grand Prix will trim the MCL40’s drag levels without creating a trade-off with the Pirelli tyres.

The Woking outfit are making full use of the April break to develop upgrades for the MCL40, having started this season with the third-best car in the field behind the Mercedes W17 and Ferrari SF-26. McLaren even already trail Mercedes by 89 points after the first three rounds.

Oscar Piastri scored McLaren’s first podium of the season in Japan last time out, and he may have even won without the safety car to recover Oliver Bearman’s Haas. He finished second with a 13.722s deficit to Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who gained the lead through the safety car.

The five-week gap from the Japanese Grand Prix on March 29 to the Miami GP on May 3 has provided McLaren and their rivals plenty of time to work on upgrades. McLaren are focusing on developing upgrades for their chassis to give them the best chance of rivalling Mercedes.

Which McLaren driver will leave the team first?

Let us know your reasoning in the comments!

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

McLaren are confident they can reduce the MCL40’s drag without it hurting the tyres

McLaren are also pushing to start reducing the drag levels of the MCL40 from the Miami GP, as FormulaTecnica reports that the papaya team are determined to ‘drastically increase’ the ‘aerodynamic efficiency’ of their car. Confidence is also growing in Woking about their plans.

READ MORE: Ranking every driver to win the F1 title for McLaren, including Lando Norris

It is understood that McLaren believe their aero upgrades for Miami will not force them into sacrificing downforce that may spark problems getting the Pirelli tyres in the ideal operating windows. Instead, the upgrades can let McLaren utilise the Mercedes engine’s full potential.

McLaren are even showing ‘unshakeable confidence’ in the likelihood that their upgrades in Miami prove successful. Piastri and teammate Lando Norris, who is yet to finish higher than P5 this year, will certainly hope that McLaren’s upgrades do not create issues with the tyres.

As the McLaren MCL40’s shorter wheelbase has created a lack of downforce due to the size of the floor, tyre management has been an issue this year. Front tyre graining on the harder Pirelli tyres was a major issue for McLaren in Australia, in particular, with the C3 compound.

Pirelli has also now confirmed that it will take its three softest compounds to the Miami GP this year, in the C3, C4 and C5 tyres. They are the same three compounds that Pirelli took to Melbourne in March, where Norris finished 51.741s behind the lead as George Russell won.