McLaren brings MCL40 upgrades to Las Vegas despite poor record at Strip circuit

McLaren will bring a fresh package of upgrades to the Las Vegas Grand Prix, with team principal Andrea Stella framing the new components as building blocks for the team’s 2027 challenger — even as he acknowledged the Nevada street circuit has historically been unkind to the papaya squad.

The update follows the front wing concept McLaren debuted at Interlagos, where Lando Norris claimed pole position and victory in wet conditions to end a five-round podium-less run — the team’s worst barren spell since the first half of the 2023 season.

“After the upgrades in Hungary, it was encouraging that we were in a position to win — we should have won Madrid, really,” Stella said, referencing the Virtual Safety Car timing in Spain that likely cost Norris victory. “But after that, other people took upgrades and we lost this position. These upgrades form the foundation for what will be next year’s car. So it’s encouraging for the trajectory of McLaren that we seem to be able to transform our development into performance on track.”

Las Vegas has produced little reward for McLaren across three editions of the race. In 2023, both cars were eliminated in Q1; Norris crashed heavily on lap three while Oscar Piastri salvaged a single point. In 2024, the team qualified sixth and eighth and finished sixth and seventh, more than 27 seconds off the top five. Last year, Norris did take pole and both he and Piastri finished on the podium, but both MCL39s were subsequently disqualified after their rearmost skid blocks were found to be excessively worn.

Stella is measured about the team’s prospects this time around, pointing to the circuit’s near-two-kilometre full-throttle Strip section as a structural challenge for the MCL40.

“It’s a very different circuit layout, Vegas — long straights,” the Italian said. “We know, we have seen this in Monza, we have seen this in Baku, that when the requirement is to develop top speed, not necessarily McLaren is the best car. We know that this also somehow relates to our gear ratios that are not ideal when you need pure straight-line performance.”

The upgrades arrive at a pivotal moment in the constructors’ championship, with McLaren needing to consolidate after rivals closed the gap during the team’s mid-season slump. Whether the Las Vegas layout ultimately suits the MCL40 or not, Stella’s emphasis on the parts’ long-term significance suggests the team is already thinking well beyond the current campaign.