All eyes are on the team as they hold two World Championship titles to defend, a feat that will not come easy but they have a solely positive outlook on the 2026 season.

Both drivers are looking to become World Champions individually, Oscar Piastri fighting for his first and Lando Norris hoping to defend his current title and get his second, as well as the Constructor’s Championship, of which the team has held since the 2024 season.

The team could not be more excited going into the 2026 season, confident in their car and drivers, McLaren has a great setup for performance in 2026.

Of course, no one fully knows what the new regulations might mean for performance in a race quite yet, not knowing what to expect, as the same could be said for every team and car that lines up on the grid in Australia on March 8th.

Team Leadership and the drivers had expressed their pride in the team, how far they’ve come and where they are now. Positive outlooks for the upcoming season with high hopes all around.

McLaren hosted the launch in Bahrain where the team now has roots because of the brand’s ownership by the Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company.

Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund now holds 100% stake of the McLaren group after being an investor since 2007, a shift that was finalized in September of 2025.

Design wise, not much has changed between the MCL39 and the MCL40. The team had moved around a couple of logos, including their own which is now added on the base below the nose.

McLaren’s partnership with Google is still very strong going into 2026 as the partners have both seen great success however, the car’s branding now displays Google’s Gemini feature. The Gemini branding has smoothed out the wheel cap colors into an ombre as well as the star next to the Gemini name.

At the launch the team had majorly emphasised that they have been happy with the papaya and do not want to change what is engrained into the McLaren championship culture. 

The McLaren papaya has become a symbol of dominance in the recent seasons of Formula One, being a piece of their brand that is easily recognizable by fans. The reasoning behind keeping the challenger’s look similar all ties back into branding and what is best for the team.

To end the ceremonial season launch the team put on a bright show with fireworks overlooking the Bahrain International Circuit, a picture perfect finish. 

You can read more about the other teams on the grid launches on Formula One Roundtable such as Alpine, Haas, Audi, and RedBull/VCARB’s joint launch.