McLaren outline 'biggest headlines' in mixed new F1 era start

McLaren technical director Mark Temple has outlined that Formula 1's new power units made the "biggest headlines" in the first half of what has been a mixed campaign for the outfit.

The new engine regulations have resulted in significant changes to the pecking order following the end of 2025, which saw Lando Norris crowned drivers' champion and McLaren crowned constructors' champions for the second consecutive season.

For much of the year, the Woking-based outfit has been third in the pecking order, opting to introduce fewer upgrades than its rivals.

McLaren has adopted a slower approach, but with the guarantee that each new part improves performance, while its rivals have opted to be more aggressive with their development.

With each new package, the papaya squad has taken a step closer to Mercedes, to the point where Norris won the Hungarian Grand Prix before the summer break.

Reliability issues have hurt the British outfit, although most have been caused by problems with Mercedes' power unit.

It has left Norris with a mountain to climb if he is to defend his drivers' title, while Temple accepts that McLaren has taken longer than hoped to prepare correctly for each grand prix.

"Coming into the season, we knew it was going to be a lot more complex because there were so many things that had changed," said Temple. "The power unit, obviously, made the biggest headlines.

"We knew that was going to be difficult to manage but also that there would be a lot of performance opportunity from it, and that it would have quite a big impact on the way we go racing.

"At the same time, there are some things that have proved to be more challenging than we expected, and it’s taken us longer to get our processes – the way we prepare for each event – into the state we would wish them to be. In truth, there's still a lot more work to do in this space."