McLaren boss Andrea Stella said the team will try to make the management competition between drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri “simpler” during the 2026 F1 season.
Norris won McLaren’s first drivers’ title since 2008 after a season-long battle with teammate Piastri last year, but both almost missed out as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen surged back into contention in the closing stages and finished two points behind the second-placed Briton.
In an attempt to maintain equality within the team, McLaren opted to allow both drivers to fight for the title until the final race, but this approach became known under the banner of the “Papaya Rule” and caused much controversy.
This strategy was questioned by many due to the fact that it kept Verstappen’s title hopes alive, but some Piastri fans felt that Norris took the team’s decision well, even though both drivers fully supported the team’s claims.
Stella said: “I can certainly say that, like everything else we do at McLaren, we go through a thorough review process to see where there is room for improvement. And this was also the case with our so-called racing principles and the way we run races and internal competition.”
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Bernie Collins believes McLaren will maintain its approach with its drivers next year, predicting Piastri will be looking to prove he’s not just a second driver in the first few races of 2026.
“We already received quite a lot of feedback during last season. We had conversations after the season, and we’re having conversations pretty much like the ones we’re having right now. And all of this has led to a fundamental reaffirmation that the concepts of fairness, integrity, equal opportunity, and sportsmanship are all fundamental to the team, to Lando, and to Oscar. They are reaffirmed, confirmed, and entrenched.”
“At the same time, we all agree that the amount of work required is important, for example for the teams, and to some extent also for the drivers in relation to internal competition. So any attempt we can make to simplify this racing together to a certain extent will be welcomed.”
“In reality, it’s going to be a matter of fine-tuning, because once we look at what we’ve done, it’s almost always going to be the same thing again. But we’ve identified some opportunities where we can streamline the way we operate as a collective, reaffirming the fundamental principles we’ve adopted in the past.”
“Norris and Piastri will be even stronger in 2026.”
Stellar is supporting both drivers to come out even stronger in 2026, despite the contrasting finish to last season.
Norris started 2025 as the favorite, but Piastri was looking to upset his more experienced teammate by leading the standings with 34 points with nine of 24 rounds remaining.
But as Piastri faltered, Norris took control and put in some of the best performances of his career to overcome the self-doubt he struggled with during his rise to the top of the sport.
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Speaking to Sky Sports’ Craig Slater at the Autosport Awards at London’s Roundhouse, Norris said he was confident and ready to defend his World Drivers’ Championship.
Stella told Sky Sports News: “I think Lando will definitely be strong in 2026, but not necessarily because they were champions in 2025, but because of the logical growth that has been adopted not only in the team but also in our drivers.”
“Regardless of what happens in 2025, we expect Oscar to become faster, stronger, and more complete year after year.
“Every race is an opportunity to learn, every race is an opportunity to get better and better. I see some really great work already happening with our drivers, great conversations, lots of energy, hours and days in the simulator learning about the 2026 chassis and power unit.”
“The drivers have undoubtedly made the best possible preparations and, like all of us, are looking forward to finally putting the car on the ground and starting the 2026 season.”
“Development plans for McLaren cars are progressing”
McLaren enters the 2026 season aiming for its third consecutive constructors’ championship, but a complete rules reset has stripped it of any competitive advantage it had.
Stella described the introduction of both new power unit and chassis regulations as the “biggest” change he had experienced in his more than 25 years in the sport, and admitted the pecking order could be “mixed up”.
However, the Italian said McLaren’s new car development is well planned and he is confident in the team’s “ambitious” approach.
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“All of this (regulations) makes it very interesting to see how the cars perform and what the competitive standings are. It’s mixed up somehow,” Stella said.
“We are champions, but we will not take over being champions until 2026. Everyone will start from the starting block. Everyone will start from zero.”
“Our internal narrative is that whatever we achieve, we deserve it and we have to earn it on the ground. That is our heart and our philosophy. This is why we are ambitious for the 2026 car.”
“At the same time, this is a very high-level redesign, so we have to be careful to make sure that we actually have the car, that we understand it in time, that we build it in time. And so far, I have to say that our program is going according to plan. Obviously, we’re happy with some of it.”
When does F1 pre-season testing take place?
With the introduction of new regulations, a strong schedule of three separate test events is planned before the start of the 2026 season.
The first test will take place behind closed doors in Barcelona from January 26th to 30th, followed by two more tests in Bahrain from February 11th to 13th and 18th to 20th.
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Highlights from F1 testing at Barcelona Shakedown will be streamed live every night from Monday 26th January to Friday 30th January from 7pm on Sky Sports F1 YouTube and 9pm on Sky Sports F1 Channel.
When was your first F1 race?
The team will then have two weeks to prepare for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne from March 6th to 8th.
The first practice session of the season will take place on Friday, March 6th, followed by qualifying on Saturday, March 7th and the opening race on Sunday, March 8th.
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