The Woking-based team will unveil its new car on February 9 at the Bahrain International Circuit, shortly before pre-season testing begins at the venue, making it the last of the 11 teams on the grid to formally lock in its 2026 launch details.
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The team has yet to officially confirm the name of its new challenger. Based on recent conventions it is expected to carry an MCL designation, although McLaren has shown a willingness to depart from its traditional naming structure in recent seasons.
McLaren enters the new campaign as the reigning force in F1, having secured the constructors’ championship in both 2024 and 2025.
After edging Ferrari by 14 points in 2024, the team dominated last season, finishing 364 points clear of its nearest rival and sealing the constructors’ title in Singapore, equalling Red Bull’s 2023 record for the earliest championship win with six rounds remaining.
That success was complemented by its first drivers’ championship since 2008, with Lando Norris crowned world champion after a season-long battle with teammate Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen.
The car will hit the track just days later at the first official pre-season test, which begins at Bahrain on February 11.
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