F1 Daily: McLaren's Brazil Upgrades, Ocon's Early Exit, and Lindblad's Special Helmet

The Kimi Antonelli championship hangover is not yet over, but the rest of the Formula 1 grid is already setting their sights on the 2026 Sao Paolo Grand Prix in Brazil. Mercedes has the chance to clinch the Constructors' Championship this weekend, but the other teams are still scrambling to get as high as they can in the standings.

McLaren is one of those teams. Read more below to find out why.

McLaren, the reigning World Champions, saw their third place get snatched by Red Bull during the Mexican Grand Prix. Lando Norris could only finish fifth, while Oscar Piastri received a 10-place grid penalty that dropped him from 7th place to 13th. 

As a result, they're now trailing Red Bull by 17 points for third place in the Teams' Standings. Apparently, though, McLaren isn't giving up yet.

The team will bring upgrades to Interlagos this weekend, which will reportedly include new components for their front wing, rear wing, and floor. McLaren is also expected to carry their front wing concept to next year, making the Sao Paolo GP a testing ground for their 2027 car development.

Esteban Ocon was expected to drive for Haas in the remaining races of the year before exiting the team in 2027. However, a recent turn of events, which started in Free Practice in Mexico City, sees Haas dropping Ocon early and giving Rafael Camara the keys in the upcoming Sao Paolo Grand Prix.

Camara, who will replace Ocon in 2027, is still competing in Formula 2. It's uncertain if he will drive for Haas in the races after Brazil (Las Vegas, Qatar, Abu Dhabi), but this is a huge opportunity for the young driver to make his F1 debut in front of his home fans. 

As for Ocon, it's an unfortunate end to his 2026 campaign. Time will tell if this Haas fiasco will affect his hopes of staying in the Formula 1 main grid.

Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad is coming off a disappointing Mexican GP, where he was in the running for points when he was hit by Piastri during their last stints. Lindblad's promising afternoon turned into a sour one, as he had to retire his car after.

But the rookie driver won't let that incident dampen his mood this weekend. Lindblad is celebrating his Indian heritage with a special Diwali-themed helmet that he will wear at Interlagos.

Lindblad has Indian roots traced to his mother, Anita, who is British-Indian.

Aston Martin's afternoon in Mexico City didn't last long, with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll exiting early due to power unit issues. Honda trackside general manager and chief engineer Shintaro Orihara said that the track's thin air (or high altitude) caused problems with the cooling circuit of the AMR26's Energy Recovery System (ERS).

Alonso (7) and Stroll (12) already have a combined 19 DNFs this season.