F1: McLaren want to ‘influence’ in 2026 engine design

McLaren has yet to decide on which engine manufacturer it will partner with for the 2026 season, but whomever they choose, they want to have some say in the engine design.

When asked about what type of relationship it would like with prospective partners, Team Principal Andreas Stella pointed out the importance of being able to influence the power unit design to yield any potential performance benefits.

“You definitely have to monitor that, if making deals for 2026 as a chassis manufacturer like McLaren, you have enough room for influencing the power unit design so that you are not left behind from a competitiveness point of view,” he told media.

“So this is what we are doing in our conversations, we know what we want to achieve. This doesn’t seem to be difficult in the conversations we are having, but we are satisfied that this seems to be something that we will be able to achieve.”