McLaren ended the first half of the season with a superb victory in Hungary, bringing to a close a run of genuinely inconsistent and disappointing races for the reigning world champions, who had at least hoped to be fighting at the front this year. The win was made possible by an important upgrade package that the Woking team introduced in Hungary.
Work likely inspired by the huge number of upgrades Ferrari introduced during the first half of the 2026 season. Inspiration in terms of both the quality and quantity of the upgrades: factors that are especially important at the dawn of a new regulatory era, which has sparked a huge development war in the first half of the 2026 season, with Ferrari and Red Bull impressing through the volume of new parts they have managed to bring out of the factory.
Development race
This development race should continue after the summer break before easing off as teams begin shifting their focus to 2027. Ferrari and McLaren will be among those teams, having meanwhile managed to take some wins away from Mercedes, which had dominated without rival at the start of the season. Both teams appear to still have more in reserve, with the British team set to bring a new package for the Dutch Grand Prix.
Mercedes, for its part, is also expected to introduce further upgrades after bringing fewer new parts so far than its rivals. Mercedes, like McLaren, has singled out Ferrari as the team that has impressed most through the quantity and quality of its development work, prompting the Woking squad to examine its own processes in an effort to match Maranello's design and production pace.
Under the microscope
"I think we have done a good job of bringing upgrades that have added performance," McLaren engineering technical director Neil Houldey told Motorsport.com. "When you look around at the competitors, there are teams like Ferrari that have done a fantastic job of bringing developments. I think they have brought forward the use of what they have available. In terms of volume, Ferrari seem to have managed to do a lot, and it is something we need to look at and understand from both an aerodynamic development and manufacturing perspective."
"The way they have delivered these things so quickly is an inspiration. As with anything in F1, if you are not progressing and finding ways to do things faster and more effectively, then you are going backwards. It has been a good lesson for us to see what others are capable of. We expect to bring components to the next races, and we expect to do so later in the year as well. We certainly will not stop 2026 development because it will all carry over. We are very keen to keep developing the car for as long as possible."
