McLaren F1 hopeful of carrying 'some fundamentals' of tire management into 2026

The McLaren team principal, Andrea Stella, has shared the team's plans to bring the strongest parts of their 2025 car into next season, when the regulations for the sport change. Specifically, Stella spoke about the foundational elements of the vehicle that have helped them with tyre management during the course of this season that they believe can be carried forward into the next iteration of their F1 car.

The team boss also admitted that they are aware that there are going to be pieces that are going to change constantly as the car develops.

This past year has seen the Woking-based outfit win every race, barring one, thanks to the efforts of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris' piloting of the MCL39, the fundamentals of which the team is looking to integrate into next year's vehicle.

“I think there are some fundamentals that you can carry over,” Stella was quoted as saying by Motorsport Week.

“There are some other aspects which are somehow constant evolution and improvement of a platform, like the platform of our car in the current regulations, that we now know very well."

“Some other aspects we will have to understand how do we transfer them from this car to next year’s car,” he added.

McLaren's car has been able to excel in the area of tyre management, so much so that the FIA has had to look into whether or not the car is legal, and has found that there are no rules being violated by the challenger.

Thanks to their strong start, McLaren currently sit at the top of the constructors' championship table with a 105 points between them and Mercedes in second place.

Meanwhile, Piastri's four wins this season have propelled him to the top of the drivers' standings with 131 points, with his teammate Lando Norris in second, 16 points behind the Aussie.

"In a league of their own": Red Bull team boss commends McLaren's performance in Miami

Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri battle for track position on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Miami on May 04, 2025- Source: Getty

After Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen started on a pole position during the Miami Grand Prix, it only took the McLaren drivers 18 laps to steal the top spots on the grid, and they held on to it until the checkered flag waved. RBR's team principal, Christian Horner, spoke after the Miami event, commending the team on their strong performance, as well as mentioning their efficient tyre management.

“Well done to McLaren – they were in a league of their own today, particularly with tyres running at the temperatures that they are,” Horner told afterwards to F1 . "They definitely are doing a better job than the rest of the teams and had a very competitive race."

Max Verstappen and Red Bull currently sit in third place in their respective battle for championship titles.