F1 TV pundit Alex Brundle questioned whether McLaren’s latest Formula 1 upgrade could end up “in the bin” after a pointless Azerbaijan Grand Prix, citing structural concerns despite insisting the result alone doesn’t reflect the package’s pace. His comments were made on the F1 Nation podcast, per the source report.
What happened in Baku
The source says McLaren arrived in Azerbaijan with a major upgrade but left with zero points. It reports Lando Norris was caught in a Turn 1 crash during a safety-car restart after Alpine’s Franco Colapinto locked up and hit his teammate Pierre Gasly, who then struck Norris. Oscar Piastri, who was said to be in podium contention, also locked up and finished 13th, according to the same report.
Why Brundle is worried
“Zero points is, I don’t think, a fair assessment. It’s all about performance, not result,” Brundle said on F1 Nation, per the source.
He then pointed to durability fears: “They’ve got a problem though, which is that if that upgrade is not structurally strong enough, you’ve seen them all weekend with the cracks in the floorboards on the side of the car.” He added that “Lando Norris was told again not to take the kerbs in the middle of the grand prix.” If the parts can’t be run as intended, he suggested, “that might be an upgrade in the bin.”
The cost of a misfire
Brundle warned about sunk development expense if the package can’t be used as designed: “There is no bigger disaster in 2026 Formula 1 than spending a ton of money in wind tunnel time, especially when you’re the reigning champions on some upgrades that don’t work,” he said, per the source.
Where McLaren stands
According to the source, McLaren sits third in the constructors’ standings on 306 points, behind Mercedes on 538 and Ferrari on 378.
