First take a look at confirmed Mercedes has “positively raised the bar” with 2026 automobile – Stella | System 1

McLaren group principal Andrea Stella mentioned he was particularly impressed by Mercedes’ efficiency within the first pre-season take a look at final week.

The W17 coated two-and-a-half grand prix distances per day throughout its three days of working on the Circuit de Catalunya. Though rivals Ferrari and Purple Bull additionally ran reliably throughout the take a look at, Stella was significantly struck by Mercedes’ efficiency.

“It’s clearly very troublesome to offer an goal evaluation, as we have no idea the opposite groups’ work programmes, gasoline ranges or work schedules,” he mentioned. “As well as, the environmental situations have been fairly completely different from what we usually expertise on race weekends.

“That mentioned, it’s clear that there are no less than three opponents – Mercedes, Ferrari and Purple Bull – who’ve all bought off to an excellent begin. Particularly, the Brackley group has positively raised the bar, and we should work arduous to do the identical.”

The sweeping adjustments to F1’s rules this yr, particularly the brand new energy unit guidelines, prompted some considerations that one group may produce a way more aggressive automobile than their rivals. However Stella mentioned the primary take a look at gave him optimism this isn’t the case.

“The truth that the three groups I discussed are outfitted with three completely different energy models is a primary indication that there might not be extraordinarily marked variations when it comes to absolute efficiency, no less than so far as a few of the PU suppliers are involved,” he mentioned.

Stella admitted McLaren hoped to cowl extra laps with their MCL40, which made its debut on the third day of the five-day take a look at.

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“It was a really helpful three days,” mentioned Stella. “We have been in a position to accumulate a considerable amount of knowledge and start to grasp how the brand new era of single-seaters behave in actuality on monitor and now not solely on simulators.

“After all, we’d have appreciated to have accomplished extra laps, however even the difficulties that slowed us down on the primary two days have been necessary in serving to us to raised perceive learn how to function the automobile.

“We have been nicely conscious that by pushing the design part to the restrict, we’d arrive at this shakedown very tight when it comes to preparation, however because of the work accomplished on the monitor and at Woking, we managed to make up nearly all of the misplaced time: it was a bit like constructing an aeroplane whereas in flight, however we did it.”

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