McLaren leads F1 development charge for Monaco GP with host of upgrades

McLaren has led Formula 1’s development charge by bringing a host of new upgrades to this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.

Amid a major regulation overhaul for the 2026 season, the F1 development race is panning out at a relentless rate. Most teams brought their first substantial upgrades to the Miami Grand Prix following an enforced break in April, with Mercedes introducing a big package at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Having closed the gap to frontrunners Mercedes in recent races, McLaren is continuing its aggressive development push by bringing the most upgrades to Monaco.

F1’s governing body the FIA’s document detailing all the upgrades brought by each team revealed on Friday that McLaren has six new parts on its MCL40 for the upcoming weekend.

Among the changes are a larger engine cover to increase cooling, a Monaco-specific front suspension update, a revised beam wing and rear corner aimed at improving airflow conditioning, a new rear wing winglet cascade tailored to the circuit’s drag requirements, and a revised diffuser for reliability.

In contrast, Mercedes has brought just a dingle upgrade for Monaco. This is a new rear wing featuring an eye-catching winglet design that caused a stir in the paddock when it first emerged on Thursday.

Red Bull is introducing a new front corner, engine cover and rear wing, with most of these updates focused on reliability improvements, while Ferrari has made circuit-specific changes to its front suspension, floor body and diffuser.

Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren’s radical-looking winglets grabbed attention on Thursday, with teams exploiting a rule change for this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.

Teams have capitalised on the opportunity to squeeze more downforce from their rear wings by adding mainplane-mounted winglets on the upper elements of their rear wings, in response to the use of active aero being scrapped in Monaco.

What every team has brought to the Monaco GP