McLaren told why Red Bull and Max Verstappen have a ‘huge advantage’ over them in 2026

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Nobody quite knows who is going to be in the picture regarding the 2026 F1 title fight, and a number of teams could be in contention.

While it’s fairly easy to expect that the usual suspects will be nearer the back of the grid, picking who will be on top of the drivers’ championship is much harder.

It isn’t a given that McLaren will carry their pace over to the 2026 F1 regulations, making Lando Norris’ defence of a maiden title doubtful.

Meanwhile, Red Bull have their own engines now, which could throw a spanner in the works for Max Verstappen, aiming for a fifth title in six years.

Barcelona, Day 1 done 🏁 Who’s catching your eye so far? 👇

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Red Bull’s small sidepods have ‘baffled’ rivals already, with some of the innovations that they have brought to the RB22 raising eyebrows.

On the other hand, papaya rules might cost McLaren at testing, with their drivers set to receive an uneven amount of running if the weather plays havoc as expected.

READ MORE: How Isack Hadjar’s 2026 Barcelona shakedown time compares to Oscar Piastri’s 2025 pole lap

Red Bull’s number one driver status gives them a ‘huge difference’ over McLaren in 2026

Verstappen has more ‘brainpower’ than his rivals, according to his boss, Laurent Mekies, who has led a bit of a turnaround at the team since arriving last summer.

Their stance is, and always has been, clear. The Dutchman is their number one priority, and that will continue to be the case until something changes.

Down at McLaren, there’s a different approach, and one that James Hinchcliffe believes hands their rivals a ‘huge advantage’ in 2026.

“You’ve got the distinct advantage of a very clear number one and number two relationship,” he said on the Red Flags podcast. “We know that doesn’t exist at McLaren. At Mercedes, their philosophy has always been to let them race. We saw that through all the Rosberg and Hamilton era.

“I don’t know if Kimi’s at the level yet, we’ll see next year, to make that a decision for Mercedes or not. That’s the disadvantage that McLaren has going into this.

“If you’re developing, the development race is what’s going to win the championship next year, if you can focus efforts on one car and one guy’s going to get stuff before the other guy, and that’s OK, that’s going to be a huge advantage for Red Bull.”

READ MORE: George Russell offers verdict on Red Bull’s 2026 F1 engine after what he saw at Barcelona shakedown

How McLaren’s start to the 2026 F1 season has been drastically different to Red Bull

McLaren opted to sit out of the first two days of private pre-season testing in Barcelona this week, while Red Bull ran on both days.

It would have been an almost perfect start for the Milton Keynes-based outfit, had Isack Hadjar not crashed near the end of the day’s running on Tuesday.

McLaren will run on every day between Wednesday and Friday, with Norris first to test the ropes in their new car.

If the weather ends up hitting the circuit hard, it could scupper a lot of their planned running, handing Red Bull a slight advantage heading to Bahrain.