McLaren’s Brazil GP upgrade will feature first look at 2027 F1 car development
McLaren has confirmed it will bring another upgrade to Brazil.
McLaren will bring a further upgrade to this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix with the 2027 Formula 1 season in mind.
Amid its ongoing battle against Red Bull for third place in the constructors’ championship, McLaren is bringing further updates to its MCL40 challenger after slipping back in the competitive order of late.
Mid-season developments hugely boosted McLaren’s performance and helped Lando Norris claim back-to-back wins either side of the F1 summer break, however, the Woking squad has fallen back while its rivals have improved in recent races.
McLaren will debut revisions to both its front and rear wing, as well as some floor components, at Interlagos as part of a bid to make up ground to its rivals across the final four races of 2026.
But McLaren also has one eye on 2027, revealing that the latest package features a front wing concept it is planning to carry over into next season.
“We’ve got some updates coming to the car across the front wing, rear wing and some floor components as part of our normal development cycle,” said McLaren’s chief technical officer, aerodynamics, Peter Prodromou.
“The aim is to make up ground, improve our performance over the remaining races and build momentum into next year.
“Sao Paulo has been a good circuit for us in the past and is a fairly representative track, so we’re hopeful these upgrades can help us take another step towards the front.
“The season isn't over yet: these upgrades are designed to improve the car now and help us in our fight for third in the championship. While the learning we take from these upgrades will feed into next year’s development, we also expect to carry over the concept of the new front wing into the launch specification of next year’s car.”
McLaren slipped to fourth place in the constructors’ championship and has fallen 17 points behind Red Bull following Max Verstappen’s victory at the Mexico City Grand Prix last weekend.
The reigning world champions have only scored 59 points compared to a resurgent Red Bull’s impressive 152-point haul across the last five races.
Lando Norris finished fifth in Mexico while Oscar Piastri lost his seventh-place after receiving a 10-second post-race penalty for causing a collision with Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad.
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