McLaren chief admits wish for ‘ideal’ situation of being a works team

McLaren’s team principal Andrea Stella has conceded that the ideal position of any non-OEM team is to be a works team of a power unit supplier.

Despite some rumours they were negotiating a deal, McLaren missed out on the opportunity to become the works team of Honda with the Japanese company instead opting to go with Aston Martin for 2026 and beyond.

This leaves the Woking outfit in an uncomfortable spot with six of the current 10 teams on the 2026 grid all supported by their own engine division or works agreement meanwhile McLaren are with Williams, AlphaTauri and Haas on the outside looking in.

The benefits of being an OEM or a works team are clear and Stella admitted that his ideal choice would have been to be a works team.

“There are three levels,” Stella explained toSpeedcafe.comin regards to power units. “One is, ideally you are a works team, but with an established power unit manufacturer.

“Then there’s like you are a customer with an established [manufacturer].

“I think joining a new partnership, it comes with some elements of risk.”

McLaren are currently signed with Mercedes having been a customer of the Silver Arrows since 2021 but are scouting out options for the 2026 season when new regulations come in. CEO Zak Brown was spotted visiting Red Bull’s HQ but both parties admitted a deal was unlikely.

With Honda’s partnership with Aston Martin, the possibility of McLaren becoming a works outfit seems dead with all current six 2026 providers either an OEM or in partnership with another team.

斯特拉说,团队不想加入风险a new supplier as they do not wait any longer for success. He did however mention that he does not believe it is fundamental to be a works team to be able to win.

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“In 2026, we want to be there,” the 52-year-old Italian said.

“We don’t want to be saying like, ‘Okay, now we need two years because the project is too immature’ – we want to be there from a chassis point of view, and kind of sound from a power unit point of view.

“If I had to choose, I would always choose to be a works team, but don’t feel this is a fundamental differentiator to be able to win.”

The last team to win the Constructors’ Championship whilst not being an OEM or a works team was Red Bull in 2010.