McLaren questions Mercedes budget claim on F1 upgrades
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said he is sceptical of Mercedes’ claim that it cannot afford to accelerate car upgrades. The comments follow a period in which McLaren and Ferrari have made notable gains on their 2026 cars and increased the pressure on Mercedes.
Andrea Stella has cast doubt on Mercedes’ position that budget limitations are preventing it from matching the development rate of its Formula 1 rivals. Stella said he does not believe the claim made by Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff about the team’s available money for faster upgrades.
The issue centres on upgrade pace for the 2026 cars. Recent weeks have seen McLaren, and Ferrari as well, make significant improvements, with McLaren in particular closing in on Mercedes’ previous advantage.
Those gains have translated into results, with McLaren and Ferrari taking two wins each and increasing the pressure on Mercedes. Stella’s remarks amount to a public rejection of Wolff’s explanation for why Mercedes cannot push updates more aggressively.
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