McLaren F1 2026 debut plans put on hold

McLaren has confirmed a further delay of the shake-down of its MCL40 to RacingNews365.

Team principal Andrea Stella declared last week that the team would conduct a filming day, when 200 kilometres are allowed, on the opening day of the private, five-day test at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya.

Although the majority of the teams conducted meaningful running on Monday, with the likes of Mercedes and Haas clocking 154 laps apiece, McLaren did not run.

On Tuesday, the inclement weather, with rain hitting the track mid-morning and continuing into the afternoon, meant McLaren continued keep its MCL40, which is due to run in an interim test livery, under wraps.

With rain again forecast for Wednesday, there is a question mark hanging over the team and whether it will finally run, or whether it will wait for the better weather forecast for Thursday and Friday.