He will miss the first day of McLaren F1 testing. known cause

The McLaren team will not take to the track on the first day of the Formula 1 pre-closed season testing, which will start on January 26 in Barcelona. This decision stems from the team’s desire to make the most of the time to finalize the new MCL40 car with which it will defend its championship title.

According to team leader Andrea Stella, the rules only allow each participant to race on three of the five test days. McLaren decided to skip the start day in order to gain additional time to develop the car, which is currently undergoing trial testing.

According to Stella, the work on the car under the new 2026 regulations is extremely dynamic and the team is finding improvements almost every day. Leaving the circuit early would have forced McLaren to “freeze” some technical solutions earlier, which could have had a negative impact on the final effectiveness of the package.

While the MCL40 is expected to first appear on track in a temporary livery on the second or third day of testing, the team will present the full livery on February 9. McLaren believes a later start will allow the season to begin in the most competitive configuration.