Steiner Calls on McLaren to Build Its Own Engine

Reigning Constructors’ Champion McLaren have yet to win a Grand Prix in the 2026 season, trailing Mercedes-powered rivals by 179 points (333 to 154). The team continues to source its power unit from Mercedes High-Performance Powertrains (HPP), a relationship that began in 2021 after earlier stints with Renault and a three-year partnership with Honda that ended in 2015. While the MCL40 chassis contributes to the deficit, McLaren’s own team principal Andrea Stella has repeatedly highlighted a shortfall in extracting full performance from the Mercedes unit.

McLaren told to ‘grow up’ and build its own F1 engine after Mercedes complaintsMcLaren handed blunt ‘grow up’ advice amid Mercedes F1 engine concerns

Speaking at Silverstone, Stella said, “Power unit exploitation and power unit performance are particularly important.” He added, “We still seem to have a little bit of a deficit in extracting the most from the HPP power unit,” noting that GPS data shows “some performance we seem to be leaving behind.” Stella’s comments underscore the team’s belief that the issue lies partly in knowledge transfer rather than hardware alone.

McLaren told to ‘grow up’ and build its own F1 engine after Mercedes complaints

Former Haas boss Guenther Steiner argues that McLaren’s complaints serve as a convenient excuse. He contended, “They are a car manufacturer; they should make their own engine,” and pointed to Red Bull and Audi as examples of manufacturers that have succeeded with in-house power units. Steiner acknowledged the difficulty, stating, “It isn’t easy to make an engine, but I think the first hurdle is the money and then the people.” He suggested that McLaren’s chief executive Zak Brown could redirect sponsorship funds toward engine development, which would also benefit the commercial value of older cars.

McLaren told to ‘grow up’ and build its own F1 engine after Mercedes complaints

• “Power unit exploitation and power unit performance are particularly important,” — Andrea Stella, McLaren Team Principal

McLaren handed blunt ‘grow up’ advice amid Mercedes F1 engine concerns

• “And I have to say, and I’ve said that other times, that we still seem to have a little bit of a deficit in extracting the most from the HPP power unit.” — Andrea Stella, McLaren Team Principal

McLaren handed blunt ‘grow up’ advice amid Mercedes F1 engine concerns

• “They are a car manufacturer; they should make their own engine.” — Guenther Steiner, former Haas Team Principal

McLaren told to ‘grow up’ and build its own F1 engine after Mercedes complaints

• “Red Bull went for it, and they are doing pretty good.” — Guenther Steiner, former Haas Team Principal

McLaren handed blunt ‘grow up’ advice amid Mercedes F1 engine concerns

• “It isn’t easy to make an engine, but I think the first hurdle is the money and then the people – like all the time when you do something, when you do a business.” — Guenther Steiner, former Haas Team Principal

McLaren handed blunt ‘grow up’ advice amid Mercedes F1 engine concerns