Stella: Early 2026 F1 Reliability Fears Fade as Teams Impress in Barcelona Shakedown

McLaren Racing team principal Andrea Stella says many of the anxieties surrounding the first on-track running of Formula 1’s new-generation cars were quickly put to rest during the recent Barcelona shakedown.

With the 2026 regulations ushering in sweeping technical changes, every team bar Williams took part in private testing from Jan. 26–30. While there had been quiet concerns about reliability heading into the week, Stella revealed those fears largely evaporated once the cars hit the circuit.

“Overall, I think the teams demonstrated a very high level of preparation for the introduction of this new generation of cars,” Stella said in an interview released by McLaren. “Anyone who was worried about a repeat of what we saw 12 years ago with the debut of the hybrid power units saw those concerns disappear fairly quickly. From a power unit perspective, even teams running a new engine for the first time were able to rack up a healthy amount of mileage.”

Instead, Stella explained, the main challenges McLaren faced were tied to the sheer complexity of the 2026 machinery rather than fundamental reliability flaws.

“The issues that limited our running were mostly linked to how complex the overall car system is,” he said. “I want to give huge credit to our team, who worked with incredible dedication, day and night, to recover almost all of the time we lost at the start.”

Stella likened the experience to early winter tests of previous eras, when long nights in the garage were the norm rather than the exception.

“It felt a bit like going back a few years, when the first winter tests would regularly run into the early hours,” he added. “But as teams become more familiar with these cars, I’m confident things will settle back into a more normal rhythm.”

McLaren is set to unveil its 2026 Formula 1 livery in Bahrain on Monday, Feb. 9, ahead of pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit from Feb. 11–13 and again from Feb. 18–20. The 2026 season will officially get underway with the Australian Grand Prix from March 6–8.

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