McLaren creates in-house power unit team to unlock more from Mercedes engine

McLaren targets performance gains beyond the car

McLaren has created a dedicated power unit performance team as it searches for more from the Mercedes engine that has powered its Formula 1 campaign this season.

The Woking-based team has struggled to produce the level of performance expected while defending both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles. Although McLaren dominated the teams’ fight across the previous two seasons, the MCL40 has not consistently matched that standard, with Mercedes and Ferrari emerging as the main challengers.

Mercedes’ power unit has been the benchmark this year after overcoming its difficult pre-season and early-season reputation. However, reliability concerns have been more visible among customer teams, including McLaren, leaving the team with a more complicated task than simply receiving the strongest available specification.

McLaren’s prospects improved sharply in Hungary, where Lando Norris delivered a dominant victory. That result raised hopes of a broader recovery when Formula 1 returns from its summer hiatus at Zandvoort. The breakthrough was attributed in part to a successful upgrade package, while Mercedes has also suggested that Norris’ performance played a significant role. McLaren’s Hungarian GP form was more than its upgrade package.

A new approach to the Mercedes partnership

The summer shutdown prevents teams from continuing work on their cars until racing resumes, but McLaren has used the pause to refine how it extracts performance from its customer power unit.

“We have a power unit performance team now, which we didn’t have before,” said Mark Temple, McLaren’s Technical Director for Performance. “They’re focused on understanding how we get the most out of the power unit.”

The group will study circuit data, work with race engineering, and use McLaren’s simulator and offline tools. Temple described it as “a new set of skills, and a new way of working” because the team had not previously needed to focus so heavily on this area.

Working alongside Mercedes HPP

McLaren has considerable input into the power unit programme, but Mercedes’ High Performance Powertrains retains final authority over decisions and specifications. The team works closely with its customer support group and maintains relationships with personnel in the main programme, giving it influence without control.

Temple described McLaren as operating in a “side loop” that feeds into Mercedes’ main process. That can mean the team does not receive every configuration it wants, while information arriving close to a race weekend can leave limited time to react.

McLaren’s priority, therefore, is to improve its internal process. If the Hungarian upgrade continues to deliver, a sharper understanding of the Mercedes power unit could become an important factor in sustaining its championship challenge.