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McLaren will introduce an upgrade package for their MCL40 ahead of this weekend's Formula 1 São Paulo Grand Prix, featuring a front wing concept designed to carry over to their 2027 challenger.
The Woking-based outfit enjoyed a major resurgence following extensive updates in Hungary—where Lando Norris took victory before doubling down with another win at Zandvoort. However, McLaren have lost ground to their direct rivals in recent rounds, despite bringing substantial upgrade packages to Baku and further tweaks to Austin.
Over the past four qualifying sessions, McLaren operated as the fourth-fastest car on the grid, trailing pole position by an average of 0.511 seconds and sitting 0.236 seconds adrift of the third-fastest team. Despite the deficit, engineers continue to push development on the MCL40 while keeping an eye firmly on 2027.
"We have prepared updates to the car covering the front wing, rear wing, and floor details as part of our regular development program," said Technical Director of Aerodynamics Peter Prodromou. "Our goal is to close the gap, raise our performance across the remaining races, and maintain that momentum heading into next year."
"São Paulo is traditionally a track that suits us well and serves as a representative benchmark, so we hope these new components will take us a step closer to the front. The season isn't over yet, and these updates should boost the car immediately in our fight for third place in the championship. The data gathered will support next year's development, and we also expect to carry this front wing concept into the baseline launch spec for next season," Prodromou added.
McLaren currently sit 17 points behind third-placed Red Bull in the constructors' standings, having collected just 59 points over the last five rounds compared to their rival's 152.
The Mexican Grand Prix offered glimpses of encouragement, with Norris crossing the line in fifth, just 12 seconds adrift of race winner Max Verstappen. Nevertheless, the Briton remains cautious ahead of the upcoming rounds.
"If you look at how we performed in Baku and tracks of that nature, I think we will still struggle for pace," Norris noted. "We need to make significant progress with the car on certain circuits and in specific areas. Everything fell into place today, but I'm not convinced we'll suddenly be competitive if we return to the tracks where we struggled. The conditions just suited us, and I don't want to rely solely on hope and good fortune. We know what we need to work on, but it takes time, and hopefully we'll have a stronger showing in Brazil."
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