Formula 1 · Est. 1963 · Home Base: McLaren Technology Centre
Updated March 16, 2026
McLaren enters 2026 as the reigning Constructors' Champions, a remarkable turnaround for a team that was dead last just a few years ago. But defending a title across a major regulation change is one of the hardest things to do in F1. The team that mastered the ground-effect era must now prove its engineering depth extends to an entirely new rule set.
Lando Norris enters 2026 as the reigning World Drivers' Champion after a stunning 2025 campaign that saw him overhaul Max Verstappen and claim McLaren's first drivers' title since Lewis Hamilton in 2008. At 26, Norris is in his prime and now faces the ultimate test: defending a championship across the most radical regulation change in a generation. The question is no longer whether Norris can win a title — it's whether he can build a dynasty.
Oscar Piastri's rise has been meteoric -- from reserve driver to race winner to Constructors' Championship contributor in the space of two seasons. The Australian enters 2026 ready to challenge Norris for team leadership and establish himself as a genuine title contender in his own right. The intra-team dynamic at McLaren is one of F1's most compelling storylines.
CEO Zak Brown has overseen McLaren's transformation from a struggling legacy team into the sport's benchmark operation, luring top talent like Andrea Stella and building a winning culture from the ground up. The 2026 season will test whether that culture can sustain success across a disruptive regulation change -- the true mark of a championship-caliber organization.