Ex-Mercedes driver pinpoints what may be "challenging" for McLaren in 2026
Sam Bird is adamant that McLaren's lack of wind tunnel time in 2026 will be a significant challenge for the world champions.
"They will have less wind tunnel time than everybody else,... it's going to be quite challenging for them."- Sam Bird
McLaren won both the Drivers' Championship and the constructors' title this season and will have less wind tunnel time than anyone else at the start of 2026.
The British team will have just 70% of the available wind tunnel hours next season, with additional hours allocated on a sliding scale—each team receiving 5% more based on this year’s Constructors’ Championship standings.
Bird feels that this disadvantage may give McLaren some problems, particularly as new rules are being introduced next year.
He told the F1 Chequered Flag podcast: "I think a lot stems on how this team now moves forwards and focuses their 2026 work, because it's all change and we don't know who's going to be the best yet.
"Going forwards with being constructors champions, they will have less wind tunnel time than everybody else, which, which when there's a new era of Formula 1 dawning, it's going to be quite challenging for them.
"But I think they stopped work on the 2025 car pretty early on in the season. I think it wasn't long after Silverstone where it was right, we're going to stop this project. We're going to be focusing on 26."
Montoya: "Anybody would have been world champion" in the McLaren
McLaren had the quickest car for much of the 2025 season, winning their second consecutive Constructors' Championship at a canter.
The British team then went on to win their first Drivers' title since 2008, with Lando Norris crowned world champion in Abu Dhabi.
Juan Pablo Montoya feels the McLaren was so dominant that most drivers could have won the title driving it. Read the full story and Montoya's view here.
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