“We're not in a big rush”: McLaren evaluate options for 2026 PU supplier amidst Honda, Ford rumors

McLaren boss Zak Brown has revealed that the team is not in a hurry to finalize who it wants as the PU Supplier for the 2026 F1 season.

The 2026 F1 season is a new dawn in F1 as the new power unit regulations have attracted brands like Ford and Audi to the sport. To add to this, there have been rumors of Cadillac entering as a Power Unit supplier as well for Andretti.

In all of this, though, there have been reports of McLaren having discussions with Honda as well as Cadillac. The team currently partners with Mercedes for its power units and the relationship has bore fruit as well. However, looking to the future, tying up with a major brand as its sole supplier will be an enticing possibility for the team.

Brown, however, told RacingNews365, that McLaren was in no rush to finalize its power unit supplier. He said:

"We're very happy with with Mercedes, we have some time to decide what we want to do in 2026 and beyond. I think it's exciting for Formula One, that you have as many manufacturers coming into the sport. I think that shows the growth and excitement.

"It's something that Andrea and I are in the process of slowly reviewing, we're not in a big rush, we are very happy with Mercedes. So we'll see how things play out over the next year or so before we need to make a decision."

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McLaren admits Oscar Piastri has left the team impressed

New team principal Andrea Stella has revealed that new Australian signing Oscar Piastri has left the team impressed with his yearning to learn.

The former Ferrari engineer revealed how Piastri's tendency to challenge what the team has done in the past and questioned why that was the right thing to do has left him impressed with the youngster. He said:

“Somehow, he challenges you, if that makes sense, in a very polite and constructive way. But he doesn’t take things superficially or just kind of stop challenging just for pleasing the environment. This is not what we want, we want to be challenged. He’s a demanding guy that should help elevate the standards. We’ve been impressed.”

Piastri will team up with Lando Norris this season as he replaces Daniel Ricciardo. For McLaren, the 2023 F1 season has to be all about getting back to the front of the midfield after losing out to Alpine last season.