McLaren team principal Andrea Stella admits the team cannot explain why they lose around one-and-a-half tenths to Mercedes on straights despite using the same power unit. The MCL40 trails the championship-leading W17 by three-to-four tenths per lap, with 70% of that gap coming from cornering performance where McLaren lacks downforce.

Stella says the straight-line deficit is harder to pinpoint, suggesting it could stem from either aerodynamic drag or differences in how each team operates the Mercedes powertrain. While the obvious assumption points to McLaren being more draggy, the team is also examining whether they're extracting maximum performance from the identical unit supplied by Mercedes HPP.

McLaren has made progress on electrical energy deployment through their collaboration with Mercedes' High Performance Powertrains division. However, Stella acknowledges they cannot definitively separate whether their straight-line disadvantage comes from drag or internal combustion engine power differences, making reverse-engineering the problem particularly challenging.

The team will focus on minimizing all sources of drag on the MCL40 while maintaining close work with HPP. Stella's assessment reveals McLaren still trails despite shared components, highlighting the aerodynamic and operational gaps that separate them from F1's current benchmark team.