Zak Brown, the McLaren chief executive, says Mercedes and Ferrari are \u201clooking very strong\u201d ahead of the start of the F1 2026 season.<\/p>\n
And he is wary of the threat posed by Red Bull and Max Verstappen, claiming the Milton Keynes-based team still has more pace hiding up its sleeve.<\/p>\n
McLaren: Ferrari and Mercedes \u2018looking very strong\u2019 on eve of F1 2026<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n McLaren established itself as the dominant force in the final year of the previous regulations, winning consecutive constructors\u2019 championships across 2024\/25.<\/p>\n The Woking-based team also secured its first drivers\u2019 title since 2008 last year as Lando Norris collected his maiden championship.<\/p>\n Formula 1\u2019s technical regulations have been overhauled for F1 2026 as the sport embraces 50 per cent electrification, fully sustainable fuels and active aerodynamics, with new rules often shuffling the pecking order.<\/p>\n Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to race for McLaren in F1 2026 season<\/p>\n F1 driver contracts: What is the contract status of every driver on the F1 2026 grid?<\/a><\/p>\n F1 2026 driver salaries: Who are the highest-paid drivers on the grid?<\/a><\/p>\n Mercedes, which aced the last engine rule changes in 2014, has so far lived up to its billing as the pre-season favourite with the Ferrari SF-26 also winning admirers in the paddock.<\/p>\n Appearing in the team principals\u2019 press conference in Bahrain this week, Brown claimed that Mercedes and Ferrari should be the happiest teams at this stage of the season, as well as warning to keep an eye on Red Bull.<\/p>\n As for his own team, Brown conceded that McLaren is unlikely to start 2026 at the front of the pack, but is hopeful that it will capitalise on what is expected to be an intense development race.<\/p>\n He told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets: \u201cI think we\u2019ve produced a good car. I think we\u2019ll be in the big four.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019re at the front of the big four, but it\u2019s going to be a long season with a lot of development.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re still learning, but I think we are in a good starting position.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I think the red guys and the silver guys are looking very strong. And I don\u2019t think we\u2019ve seen everything yet at Red Bull.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I think we\u2019re definitely in the top four.\u201d<\/p>\n McLaren has excelled at in-season development over recent years.<\/p>\n Following a slow start to the season in 2023, the team emerged as the closest challenger to the dominant Red Bull outfit after introducing a sizeable mid-season upgrade.<\/p>\n McLaren then ousted Red Bull with another major update at the following year\u2019s Miami Grand Prix, maintaining its status as the fastest team for the remainder of the ground-effect era.<\/p>\n Additional reporting by Mat Coch and Thomas Maher<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n