After watching the early running at Barcelona, McLaren CEO Zak Brown believes the same four teams will stay ahead of the pack under F1’s 2026 regulations. Formula 1 has entered a new era in 2026 with the introduction of new engine, aero, chassis and tyre rules.
After watching the early running at Barcelona, McLaren CEO Zak Brown believes the same four teams will stay ahead of the pack under F1’s 2026 regulations.
Formula 1 has entered a new era in 2026 with the introduction of new engine, aero, chassis and tyre rules. The 2026 F1 regulations mark the biggest regulatory overhaul in history, due largely to the new engines with a near 50/50 split between electric and combustion power.
The sweeping changes led some to wonder if they might shake up the competitive order, but after early testing in Barcelona, it seems little has changed at the front. McLaren still look like Mercedes’ main challenger for now.
Mercedes were already expected by many to lead under these regulations, especially with their history of excelling during rule changes. There are even suggestions they may have exploited a grey area within F1’s new power unit guidelines.
McLaren’s Zak Brown admits Red Bull’s engine is stronger than expected
There were questions around Red Bull heading into the 2026 season, with the team taking on engine manufacturing for the first time. It was Christian Horner who set up Red Bull Powertrains when Honda signalled their exit from Formula 1.
Despite early doubts about how reliable that first RBPT DM01 unit would be, built in collaboration with Ford, McLaren CEO Zak Brown came away from Barcelona “impressed” by how solid it looked right out of the box. Brown even admitted he’d prefer if it wasn’t as competitive as it appeared.
“It kind of looks like the usual suspects, but it is hard to tell in what order,” said Brown, speaking via RacingNews365. “The Red Bull engine was very strong.
“I think everyone was pleasantly surprised. I’d rather them not be as competitive, but I’m impressed with what they’ve done because they came out, they did a lot of miles and they seem to be very competitive.”
Zak Brown expects McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari will lead F1 again in 2026
Red Bull are still working on the drivability of their 2026 F1 rules engine following the test in Barcelona, where reliability was the top concern for every team. But the early signs suggest Red Bull will be among the front-running teams with McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari again.
The quartet were the class of the field during the 2025 F1 season, with McLaren securing 34 podiums, Red Bull taking 15, Mercedes reaching 12 and Ferrari getting seven from a possible 72. The remaining four rostrums went the way of Williams (2), Sauber and Racing Bulls (1).
McLaren (14), Red Bull (8) and Mercedes (2) even accounted for all 24 Grand Prix wins in the final year of F1’s latest ground-effect era. Also, McLaren won the 2025 F1 constructors’ title at the Singapore Grand Prix with six rounds to spare, to match Red Bull’s record set in 2023.
The Woking natives ultimately finished last year with a 364-point lead over Mercedes in the constructors’ standings, as Lando Norris also won the F1 drivers’ championship for the first time. Red Bull and Ferrari were third and fourth with 382 and 435-point deficits to McLaren.
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Category: General Sports
