2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix – McLaren Race Report

Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Sunday, 14 June

Find out what happened during the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, and get the thoughts of McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, as well as Team Principal, Andrea Stella

The McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team finished the opening European double-header with a podium finish for Lando as the reigning World Champion secured P3 at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. Sharing the rostrum with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, Lando’s trophy contributed to a historic milestone, marking Formula 1's first all-British podium line-up since 1968.

This, alongside Oscar's P5 finish at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, means that together with Ferrari, McLaren Mastercard scored the most Championship points this weekend with an overall total of 25.

With the challenges of hot conditions and high tyre degradation, the MCL40 showcased its core strengths, proving it has the pace to battle for podiums. However, further development is required to bridge the gap and challenge for victories with the two teams currently ahead.

Moving from the fourth most competitive car in Monaco to the third this weekend is pleasing, but the team's primary goal is to find the final few tenths of a second required to win.

This therefore highlights that the season will be decided by car development with key areas of focus including aerodynamics, adding downforce, and optimising tyre performance in both Qualifying preparation and race degradation. Consequently, McLaren Mastercard remains committed to continuous development throughout this long season with a clear pathway in place.

This afternoon, Lando's pace looked good but there is a requirement to review the Number 81 car’s performance.

Overall, this weekend’s performance represents a strong step forward from the recent challenges in Monaco and on Sunday in Canada. Thanks to excellent execution from both the garage and the pit crew during today’s stops, alongside a strong amount of data collected over the last few rounds to analyse, the team is in a good position to make further steps forward. McLaren Mastercard now look forward to returning to Woking and working hard over the upcoming break ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix.

"First of all, huge congratulations to Lewis, it’s great to see him back on the top step, I’m really happy for him. It was a tough race out there today. I did absolutely everything I could to keep pace with the front runners, but they just had the edge on us. We made sure to stay right in the mix to capitalise on any opportunities, and while we ultimately benefited from some luck, I'm incredibly happy for the whole team to be back on the podium.

"Right now, we are just missing a little bit of everything to consistently fight for wins. We are making good progress and working exceptionally hard as a unit, but our competitors are doing a slightly better job at the moment. We have to give them credit, keep our heads down, and focus on our own development. I’m very pleased with the direction we’re heading in, and we will keep pushing hard to close that final gap."

“A tricky day for us. We just struggled with grip and pace throughout the race, so we weren’t able to make any progress. The conditions today were also very different to Friday, where we felt a bit stronger. We need to do some work to understand why we found it so difficult.

"However, it is encouraging to see that on Lando’s side, we were able to be in the fight with Mercedes. The team were strong on pit stops, we had good reliability and we maximised what we could in other places. We'll review, take the learnings, and see what we can do going into Austria."

Andrea Stella

Team Principal

"We saw a definite step forward today in our ability to compete with the front-runners, which is encouraging after the difficulties we faced in the last couple of races. It’s good news that we were able to stay with Mercedes, and we can take positives from our improved reliability this weekend. However, Ferrari has clearly made significant performance gains, with recent upgrades now positioning them as race winners. Therefore, as competitors, we know there is more to do.

“Our analysis is very clear: we are reasonably competitive in the high-speed sections but need to add aerodynamic grip to improve in the medium- and low-speed corners, where we are currently losing out.

"Today, the key differentiator in the race came down to tyre management. The way the car and driver interact with the tyres over a long stint is an area we must investigate and improve upon. Reviewing strategy is also an area to highlight as the three-stop option may have been the better route. However, ultimately Lewis Hamilton looked the strongest on the day with Ferrari in condition to contest at the front regardless.

“Our focus is entirely internal at the moment: we have a clear development path to add performance to the car and will continue to bring upgrades. We need to maintain these high standards and concentrate on our own trajectory, making sure we improve race by race to close the gap to the leaders.

"The team both trackside and in Woking have worked extremely hard over the last two race weekends while experiencing the range of ups and downs this sport presents. I'm proud of everyone’s commitment and resilience to work together in the McLaren way. We will now review the double-header before moving forward with our focus on the Austrian Grand Prix.”