McLaren sank to sixth in Bahrain, losing 0.733 seconds per lap to the leaders in a race that exposed the MCL40’s vulnerability to the track’s harsh surface.
Oscar Piastri finished the Sepang International Circuit race with a single lead‑position behind the front‑row pack, a stark contrast to the team’s 240‑point deficit behind Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship. Managerial pressure mounts as the Woking squad approaches the Singapore Grand Prix.
Local Grip Kills MCL40 Performance
The Australian driver admitted the abrasive Malaysian asphalt had a role, noting that the roughness “did make a pretty big difference.” He added that the 2026 regulations, which flatter vehicle floors to reduce ride‑height sensitivity, have not fully mitigated the grip issue. “Surface grip remains a critical factor,” Piastri said during Thursday’s media session under Marina Bay floodlights.
Even with the resurfacing fight, McLaren could not fully neutralize the 0.733‑second pace gap. “I’m not sure that’s the full reason why we’ve been a bit uncompetitive,” he reflected, adding that the team hopes to correct this deficit before the next race.
A Glimpse of Speed Amid the Struggle
Despite the overall mismatch, Piastri highlighted moments when the car felt “incredibly fast.” “At certain points in the race, we looked very quick,” he explained, citing his second hard stint and Lando Norris’s soft stint as examples of the MCL40’s peak potential. “If you can get the car into the right window, it’s very quick,” he remarked, underscoring the team’s consistency struggle across recent weekends.
Singapore: New Surface, New Hope
Looking ahead, the driver believes a smoother street circuit could ease setup challenges. “Hopefully we can make things a bit easier this weekend,” Piastri said, noting the different surface as a potential advantage. “It’s obviously a very different track, different surface. The grip level in Malaysia definitely caught us out a little bit.”
With the Singapore Grand Prix looming, McLaren’s focus will sharpen on finding a reliable setup window that capitalises on the MCL40’s latent speed while sidestepping the hard‑track pitfalls that hampered their Bahrain performance.
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