Reigning F1 world champions McLaren have released striking renders of their new MCL40 in a pared-back Barcelona testing livery.
The car that will carry McLaren’s hopes of defending both world titles will hit the track this at the Circuit de Catalunya where teams begin the real-world exploration of F1’s bold new regulations.
Fresh from a dominant 2025 campaign that saw team papaya wrap up the Constructors’ crown early in Singapore before Lando Norris sealed the drivers’ title in Abu Dhabi, McLaren is fully aware that past glory buys nothing under the new rules.
A First Glimpse of Mclaren’s 2026 Contender
Unveiled in black and silver for testing duties, the MCL40 is very much a working prototype rather than a final statement of intent. McLaren will reveal its full race livery closer to the Bahrain test, but the Barcelona-spec paintwork already showcases key technical talking points.
A noticeably drooped nose defines the car’s front profile, while the sidepods ramp sharply along the flanks, hinting at aggressive airflow management. There is also a significant mechanical shift: McLaren has returned to a push-rod front suspension layout as it adapts to the sweeping 2026 reset.
Adding to the visual changes is McLaren’s new title sponsorship from Mastercard, whose branding features more prominently on the test livery.
©McLaren
Yet beneath the surface aesthetics lies what team principal Andrea Stella describes as one of the most demanding projects of his career.
"There's been so much work behind the design, the realisation, the build of the 2026 cars," said Andrea Stella.
"What I can remember for me, it's almost unprecedented, not only in terms of the changes themselves, because I think never before there's been such a huge and simultaneous change of chassis, power unit and tyres.
"But even the sheer volume of redesigning that went through the last 20 months, I would say, at McLaren has been probably the biggest design or in general dealing with a new car project that I was a part of."
Champions Reset to Zero
Despite arriving as the team to beat on paper, Stella was keen to stress that the reset button has been firmly pressed for 2026 – for McLaren and everyone else.
"This all makes it extremely interesting to see how the cars will perform, how the competitiveness order will be somehow mixed up. We are champions, but we don't carry the being champions into '26.
"Everyone will start from the starting blocks. Everyone will start from zero."
©McLaren
That philosophy extends to how McLaren is approaching testing itself. While five days are available at Barcelona, teams are restricted to running on just three – and McLaren will sit out the opening day altogether.
According to Stella, the decision reflects just how ambitious the MCL40 project has been, with the team opting to complete its shakedown at the latest possible moment.
"Our internal narrative is anything we will achieve, we will have to deserve it and we will have to earn it on the ground. So that's our mindset, that's our philosophy.
Read also: Why McLaren will keep its MCL40 mostly unchanged for Melbourne
"This is why we've been ambitious with the 2026 car at the same time, because it's such a level of redesign. You also have to be cautious to make sure that you actually have a car, that you realise it in time, that you build it in time.
"And so far, I have to say that our program is going on plan, something which obviously we are happy with and it gives me the chance to thank the entire team for having been able to realise the 2026 car."
For now, the MCL40 exists only in renders and anticipation. But when it finally rolls out in Barcelona, McLaren’s title defence will truly begin – not from the front of the grid, but from the same starting blocks as everyone else.
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