McLaren struggles with straight-line speed during Baku qualifying
3 sources • 1 min read • Latest: Sep 28, 2026, 8:34 AM
Last updated Sep 28, 2026
McLaren faced significant challenges related to straight-line speed during qualifying for the Baku Grand Prix on September 28, 2026. Despite sharing Mercedes engines, McLaren's Oscar Piastri placed eight-tenths of a second behind Mercedes' George Russell, while Lando Norris lagged 1.1 seconds. Factors contributing to this gap include McLaren's aerodynamic inefficiencies and shorter gearing choices. Team principal Andrea Stella acknowledged that the upgrades implemented did not yield the expected performance improvements at Baku. The team is evaluating the gearing ratios to better compete on high-speed circuits.
- •Oscar Piastri qualified eight-tenths behind George Russell.
- •Lando Norris trailed by 1.1 seconds during qualifying.
- •McLaren's MCL40 struggled with low-speed corner performance.
- •The team is assessing gearing ratios for future improvements.
- •Team upgrades did not lead to the anticipated lap time reductions.
- 8:34 AMAutosport — Why McLaren was so much slower than Mercedes on Baku's straights
- 8:24 AMYahoo Sports — Why McLaren was so much slower than Mercedes on Baku's straights
- 8:24 AMMotorsport.com — Why McLaren was so much slower than Mercedes on Baku's straights
"For all the talk of rivals catching Mercedes, which has held fire on its more significant upgrades until next weekend's Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, the Brackley team has been able to weather the storm by excelling on some of the most power sensitive circuits like Monza and Baku, vindicating its patience. But while Mercedes' dominant power unit package helps explain its gap to ...Keep reading
"For all the talk of rivals catching Mercedes, which has held fire on its more significant upgrades until next weekend's Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, the Brackley team has been able to weather the storm by excelling on some of the most power sensitive circuits like Monza and Baku, vindicating its patience. But while Mercedes' dominant power unit package helps explain its gap to ...Keep reading
"Despite sharing Mercedes Formula 1 engines, McLaren's gap to the works team appeared bigger than usual on Baku's power-hungry straights
Sources
External links- AutosportSep 28, 2026, 8:34 AMWhy McLaren was so much slower than Mercedes on Baku's straights
For all the talk of rivals catching Mercedes, which has held fire on its more significant upgrades until next weekend's Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, the Brackley team has been able to weather the storm by excelling on some of the most power sensitive circuits like Monza and Baku, vindicating its patience. But while Mercedes' dominant power unit package helps explain its gap to ...Keep reading
- Yahoo SportsSep 28, 2026, 8:24 AMWhy McLaren was so much slower than Mercedes on Baku's straights
Despite sharing Mercedes Formula 1 engines, McLaren's gap to the works team appeared bigger than usual on Baku's power-hungry straights
- Motorsport.comSep 28, 2026, 8:24 AMWhy McLaren was so much slower than Mercedes on Baku's straights
For all the talk of rivals catching Mercedes, which has held fire on its more significant upgrades until next weekend's Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, the Brackley team has been able to weather the storm by excelling on some of the most power sensitive circuits like Monza and Baku, vindicating its patience. But while Mercedes' dominant power unit package helps explain its gap to ...Keep reading
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