Why McLaren must pass its Monza test before talking about an F1 title challenge

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After a difficult start to the 2026 Formula 1 season – with a limited understanding of the Mercedes power unit in Australia and even a double DNS in China – McLaren now appears to be back where the Woking-based team has most often been seen in recent years: at the front of the grid.

Consecutive victories in Budapest and Zandvoort have reduced Lando Norris' deficit to championship leader Kimi Antonelli to 83 points, even reviving hopes of defending his drivers' title.

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Despite that momentum, Stella wants to keep his feet firmly on the ground and not immediately jump to far-reaching conclusions about a potential title fight.

"Beyond any way of saying, the real approach we have is just one race at a time. There's not much more you can influence than just maximising what's next available," Stella said when asked by Motorsport.com how much confidence this gives McLaren for the second half of the season.

"The next race will be in Monza, and if we think about the demands of Zandvoort and Hungary, and then think about the demands of Monza, we are in a completely different regime."

That is precisely why McLaren internally sees the Italian Grand Prix as an interesting test.

The Hungaroring and Zandvoort are both much more high-downforce circuits than the high-speed temple of Monza, meaning it remains to be seen how McLaren’s recent progress translates to a completely different layout.

At Zandvoort and Budapest, McLaren was able to exploit the MCL40’s strengths, but the ‘temple of speed’ at Monza demands different qualities from a carAt Zandvoort and Budapest, McLaren was able to exploit the MCL40’s strengths, but the ‘temple of speed’ at Monza demands different qualities from a car

McLaren is strong in medium-speed corners, of which Zandvoort and Budapest have plenty, but Norris described the MCL40's performance in slow-speed corners on Saturday as "nowhere near good enough".

Monza is primarily about the long straights and chicanes, which demand completely different things from a car. And that is precisely why Stella sees it as one the most important tests yet for McLaren.

On top of that, unlike Zandvoort and Budapest, Monza is 'energy-starved', meaning energy management will once again play a much greater role. Not only the racing could become more frustrating to watch for diehard fans again, but understanding the power unit will also be a crucial factor.

That was precisely an area in which McLaren was still significantly behind the Mercedes works team at the start of this year. A lot of progress has been made since then, including with the long-awaited simulation tools McLaren received for Spa, but Monza will show just how significant that progress really is at a track where it matters most.

Stella wants all those questions answered before talking about a title fight.

"So I think if we can confirm our improvements in Monza, then I would say that the answer to your question is yes, then we can look with some optimism at the remainder of the season.

"But first of all, we need to go to Monza and see that our car can express a good performance in the long straights."

In Italy, the focus is more on energy management and understanding the power unit – areas in which McLaren was still lagging behind Mercedes at the start of this yearIn Italy, the focus is more on energy management and understanding the power unit – areas in which McLaren was still lagging behind Mercedes at the start of this year

Stella stresses, however, that this is not only about understanding the Mercedes power unit, but also about the MCL40 in a low-downforce configuration – which has not been its strongest point so far.

"We know that drag is not necessarily a point of strength of our car," he said. "And, for instance, there's a lot of braking as well, which is not necessarily a point of strength of our car either."

It means Stella’s conclusion remains considerably more cautious for now. He is not yet willing to talk about a title defence with Norris, instead limiting himself to circuit-specific conclusions for the time being.

"There's a lot of things that we need to confirm as we head on to the next race", Stella insisted. "But so far, I think we can confirm is that when we are at high-downforce circuits, with this sort of layout, then we can fight for victories."

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