news-engine

The team will arrive at Zandvoort with a new rear wing and revised rear brake ducts, completing the development package it began introducing at the Hungaroring before Formula 1’s summer break. McLaren brought a major update to Hungary centred on a new floor and several accompanying aerodynamic changes as it continued its push towards the front of the field. Those developments helped deliver the team’s strongest weekend of the 2026 season, with Lando Norris claiming its first victory of the campaign after Oscar Piastri led much of the race before eventually retiring with a gearbox issue. McLaren technical director of applied engineering Neil Houldey said the latest components would continue the work started in Budapest. “We head into the Zandvoort weekend after finishing the final race before the shutdown with a win and a strong performance, but we are very aware of how close the competition is and how important reliability will be,” Houldey said. “We have learned a lot in the first part of the season about how this car needs to be driven to extract performance and on containing the issues we faced earlier in the year. “We have also worked hard as a team on continued development with some parts available this weekend focusing on the rear side, to complete the package introduced in Hungary with a new rear wing and new rear brake ducts. “But we know other teams will bring developments too. Therefore, it will be another tough event, and our focus is on getting everything we can out of the car. “If we execute well, we can put ourselves in the fight with the leading teams.” Houldey said Zandvoort would provide a different test for the updated MCL40, with its fast layout placing a premium on finding the right compromise between aerodynamic performance and ride. “The circuit in Zandvoort offers a unique challenge from an engineering perspective, with its banked corners, high-speed sections, undulating layout and the wind, which can make the car’s handling unpredictable,” he said. “One of the key focuses for the weekend will be finding the right balance between stiffness and ride performance over the bumpier sections of the circuit, while making sure we optimise the aerodynamic set-up and ride heights across practice.” He said the new regulations would also provide a new challenge at the circuit. “With the 2026 cars, we expect cornering speeds to be lower because of the reduction in downforce, but straight-line speeds will be higher thanks to the increased power and reduced drag in straight mode,” Houdley explained. “That changes the way the drivers will approach parts of the lap and means practice will be important for understanding the upgrades we are bringing, refining harvest and deployment, and adapting if the weather adds another layer of complexity.” McLaren has won the last two Dutch Grands Prix, with Norris victorious in 2024 before Piastri took the honours 12 months ago, which remains his most recent F1 victory. Piastri, Norris relationship ‘even stronger’ after F1 title battle