McLaren Team Principal Mercedes Power Unit Into Context
F1
McLaren recently extended collaboration with Mercedes to purchase power units from the German team, but it doesn't mean they can challenge for the title now, as Andrea Stella explained.
About three weeks ago, McLaren signed a new deal with Mercedes to be its first customer team beyond the significant 2026 change in regulations.
The Papaya cars will now be powered by Mercedes power units at least until 2030. Mercedes is rumored to have one of the most powerful power units on the grid, so the move seems reasonable for McLaren.
However, it doesn't guarantee the team will now continue achieving podiums and win races. Asked whether Mercedes PU (Power Unit) is the final piece in the puzzle for McLaren to mount the Championship fight, Andre Stella responded:
"I wouldn't say that it's so easy. It's one of the elements you have to have. It’s a necessary condition, not sufficient at all. In order to contend for championships, there's quite a lot of work to do that needs to be done on the chassis side."
While there is a lot of work to be done in terms of aerodynamics, McLaren should be doing well on the power unit side in years to come.
"I think we will be competitive for the years to come from the power unit side. That's for sure. That's why we have made this decision."
On the other hand, McLaren also had Mercedes engines in 2021 when Mercedes was arguably the fastest car, and McLaren wasn't fast enough to compete with Silver Arrows or Red Bull.
This year, McLaren had a Mercedes engine and has been faster on multiple occasions since introducing its chassis upgrades in Austria. This clearly illustrates that the PU does not make the final difference. Stella continued:
"But there's so much work to do on the chassis. And even this year, what we have achieved, yes it’s important – remarkable in a certain way.
While power units don't evolve much throughout the season, teams constantly work on their chassis. McLaren's team principal suggested the development battle at the front of the field is very competitive.
"But already, we haven't developed the car for a few races. We can see that some of the cars are brought some upgrades and immediately our competitiveness is not as good as it was a few races ago."
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