McLaren endured a difficult start to the 2026 Formula 1 season after significant technical issues disrupted their running during Practice 1 at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. The problems primarily centered around a gearbox malfunction on Lando Norris’s car, severely limiting the team’s track time in the opening session of the new regulations era.
Reigning world champion Lando Norris reported serious downshift and gear change issues early in the session, describing the behaviour of the car as “shocking.” After completing only seven laps, McLaren brought the car back to the garage as a precautionary measure to investigate the problem. Norris did not return to the track for the remainder of the session and ended FP1 in 19th position with a lap time of 1:24.391, more than four seconds behind the session leader.
McLaren mechanics were later seen removing bodywork from the MCL40, the team’s 2026 challenger, while engineers conducted detailed checks on the gearbox system. The team indicated the stoppage was precautionary while they examined the issue and evaluated whether further repairs or component changes were necessary.
The session was also not entirely smooth for Oscar Piastri, who initially reported a power delivery problem shortly after leaving the pit lane, saying the car was idling but not responding properly to throttle input. The issue briefly triggered yellow flags before Piastri returned to the track.
Despite the early setback, the Australian driver managed to complete 21 laps and finished sixth with a time of 1:21.342, providing McLaren with some valuable data.
The reliability issues come at a challenging moment for McLaren, who entered the 2026 season as defending constructors’ champions. With sweeping regulation changes introducing smaller cars, new aerodynamics and revised hybrid power units, teams across the grid are experiencing early technical difficulties.
McLaren will now focus on resolving the gearbox concerns before the next practice session, as limited running in FP1 means the team has less setup data heading into Practice 2 and the remainder of the Melbourne race weekend.