McLaren only have one ‘joker’ to fix gearbox issue that is costing Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri

Follow us on Google Discover

McLaren might have left Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri at a disadvantage to the other Mercedes-engined F1 teams in 2026 when they designed the gearbox for the MCL40.

The Woking crew are the only team running the Mercedes power unit who design their own gearbox. Alpine and Williams buy Mercedes’ gearbox as part of their customer engine deals, although Enstone natives Alpine intend to return to designing their own gearbox from 2027.

Alpine opted to join Williams in buying Mercedes’ gearbox as the Renault-owned crew have now become a power unit customer of the Silver Arrows. F1 has also overhauled the engine rules by increasing the electrical power share to almost 50/50 and by removing the MGU-H.

McLaren, however, opted to continue building their own gearbox to suit Mercedes’ new PU. Yet while McLaren were tipped to have the best gearbox in F1 in 2026 after the Bahrain test due to how Norris and Piastri could downshift in Sakhir, it may actually be causing problems.

McLaren’s gearbox is making the MCL40 less efficient at regaining energy

That is according to RACER, which reports that McLaren drivers Norris and Piastri may be at a disadvantage because of the gearbox in the MCL40. The papaya pair struggled to regen energy as efficiently as their rivals in Australia and China, and downshifts may be the cause.

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

F1 removing the MGU-H as part of the 2026 engine regulation changes has made gear ratios more important for recharging the battery, through both the timing of the gear changes and the number of gear changes per lap. But McLaren’s gearbox harvests energy less efficiently.

Alpine and Williams must use the same gear ratios as Mercedes as they buy their gearboxes from the Silver Arrows, but McLaren decide their own having built their own unit. McLaren’s smaller wheelbase makes the MCL40 less efficient, too, due to the instability under braking.

McLaren only have one chance to change their gear ratios mid-season, as F1’s rulebook only allows for one ‘joker’ due to this season being the start of a new regulatory era. When, or if, McLaren decide to utilise their gearbox ‘joker’ to tweak their ratios now remains to be seen.

Norris and Piastri will hope that McLaren’s data from Australia and China, plus what they get at the upcoming races, helps the papaya squad understand how they can change their ratios to make their gearbox more efficient for regenerating energy for their Mercedes power unit.

Norris lost out on track time in Australia due to a gearbox issue, as well, as McLaren had to repair his unit after only 20 minutes during FP1, after the Briton reported rough gear shifts. The Woking natives will hope no further reliability issues develop as the season progresses.