A majority of F1 fans do not believe McLaren can mount a title comeback following its victory last time out in Hungary.
The defending constructors' champions endured a difficult first half of the season, plagued by electrical reliability issues, an overweight car, and a lack of rear-end grip that left them as only the third or fourth-fastest package.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri completed fewer racing laps than almost any team on the grid across the opening 11 rounds, with three failures to finish or start severely hampering their points haul.
A significant upgrade to the floor and corners at the Hungaroring transformed McLaren's fortunes, with the MCL40 finally performing as the team expected. Norris converted pole position into a dominant victory, the team's first win of the 2026 campaign.
Yet despite that encouraging breakthrough, RacingNews365 asked fans whether McLaren could still challenge for the title.
Almost 58 per cent voted that McLaren are too far back, with the team sitting 159 points behind leaders Mercedes heading into the summer break.
Will McLaren challenge for the F1 title this year?
| Option | % |
|---|---|
| No - it is too far back to be a real threat | 57.98% |
| Yes - its major step forward has brought it into play | 42.02% |
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