Andrea Stella says Mercedes in their own category at the moment

It seems that Mercedes are the only teams racing in Formula 1 now while their rivals are fighting each other in Formula 1.5; maybe not Ferrari though, as they seem closer to the Mercs and have been their only challengers so far with their fast starts keeping them in contention for some parts of the racing we have seen so far in 2026.

On the other hand, McLaren, the defending Champions, have endured a tough start for their campaign, as they even could not start the race in China last weekend due to technical issues with their Mercedes power unit.

Stella reflected on the tough weekend in Shanghai, saying: “While at the moment Mercedes seem to be in their own category, and we are a little closer to Ferrari, we obviously race with the ambition to compete for important results."

As for the double DNS, the Italian added: “The most detrimental aspect of not being able to participate is the points in the championship.

“We are just losing ground. These points could have been important at the end of the season. So, the most important shortcoming of what happened [in China] is not scoring the points.

“It’s also quite regrettable and disappointing for our fans and for our partners from a commercial and a technical point of view. So, there’s obviously several downsides—and every lap is important in 2026.

“At the same time, I think we are learning quite rapidly. With what we have learned in Australia, in the Sprint [in China], we think we are actually in a good position now, especially in terms of exploiting the power unit," Stella concluded.

McLaren are third in the 2026 F1 Constructors' Championship behind Ferrari and leaders Mercedes.