McLaren is throwing fresh parts at its MCL40 challenger for this weekend's Sao Paulo Grand Prix, and as Crash.net reports, the Woking squad is already casting an eye toward the 2027 Formula 1 season. It is a bold move in the middle of a tense scrap. After sliding backward in the competitive order recently, the team needs an answer. Mid-season developments had previously worked wonders, powering Lando Norris to consecutive victories either side of the F1 summer break, but rivals have since marched ahead.
Now, the team is bringing revisions to both the front wing and rear wing, alongside floor components, to Interlagos. The goal across the final four races of 2026 is simple: claw back ground. But Peter Prodromou, McLaren’s chief technical officer of aerodynamics, explained that this goes beyond the current calendar. The package features a front wing concept that the team explicitly plans to carry over into the launch specification of next year's car.
"We’ve got some updates coming to the car across the front wing, rear wing and some floor components as part of our normal development cycle," said Prodromou. "The aim is to make up ground, improve our performance over the remaining races and build momentum into next year."
Prodromou added that Sao Paulo has historically been a strong circuit for them and offers a representative track layout, leaving the team hopeful for a step toward the front. The immediate fight remains fierce, however. McLaren currently sits fourth in the constructors’ championship, having slipped 17 points behind Red Bull after Max Verstappen’s victory at the Mexico City Grand Prix last weekend.
The numbers behind that slide tell a stark story. The reigning world champions managed just 59 points compared to a resurgent Red Bull’s massive 152-point haul over the last five races. Mexico itself brought more frustration: Lando Norris crossed the line fifth, while Oscar Piastri lost seventh place due to a 10-second post-race penalty for causing a collision with Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad. Thankfully, these upgrades are designed to deliver now while feeding vital learning into the future.
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