McLaren says 113-point gap to Mercedes

Andrea Stella used Monaco week to give McLaren's bleakest public assessment yet of its 2026 start. The McLaren team principal said on June 3 the defending constructors' champion had been "below our expectations" after five races, with the team already 113 points behind Mercedes in the standings. Formula One's official team table shows Mercedes on 219 points and McLaren on 106 heading into Monaco, the sixth round of the season. ### How far behind is McLaren after five races? Formula One's official standings put McLaren third on 106 points after the opening five rounds, behind Mercedes on 219 and Ferrari on 147. That leaves McLaren 113 points adrift of Mercedes before the championship reaches Monaco. Sky Sports reported on June 3 that Stella described the campaign as "challenging" and said the team had been "below our expectations." (skysports.com) The remarks amounted to a direct acknowledgment from McLaren that its title defense has opened with a large deficit rather than an early fight at the front. (formula1.com) ### What exactly did Andrea Stella say? Andrea Stella said McLaren's season so far had not met the standard the team expected to set after winning the constructors' title last year. Sky Sports reported that he described the opening phase as "challenging" and "below our expectations" ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix. (skysports.com) Racer reported last week that Stella had also said McLaren still believed its championship prospects remained strong despite missed opportunities to score heavily in the first five rounds. That leaves McLaren trying to balance public realism about its points deficit with continued internal belief that the season can still be recovered. (skysports.com) ### Why is Monaco the next test for McLaren? Monaco is the sixth race of the 2026 season and the next chance for McLaren to cut into Mercedes' lead. Sky Sports said McLaren expected to be in a position to try to repeat its Monaco win from last year, even as the team acknowledged the scale of its early-season shortfall. (racer.com) Andrea Stella has also pointed to Ferrari as a likely benchmark on the streets of Monte Carlo. Reporting ahead of the weekend said Stella agreed with Lando Norris that Ferrari's cornering strength could make it the favorite for pole position in Monaco, where straight-line deficits matter less. (skysports.com) ### Where does Mercedes stand in comparison? Mercedes arrives in Monaco with a clear constructors' lead and 219 points from five races, according to Formula One's official standings. Ferrari is second on 147, leaving McLaren not only behind Mercedes but also 41 points behind Ferrari. Sky Sports framed the 113-point gap as the clearest measure of how difficult McLaren's opening stretch has been. (scuderiafans.com) With five rounds completed, the standings show Mercedes has built more than a race win's worth of advantage over McLaren under the current points system. (formula1.com) ### What happens next in Monaco? Sky Sports said every session of the Monaco Grand Prix will be shown from Friday, with the race weekend serving as round six of the championship. McLaren goes there needing points against Mercedes and Ferrari after Stella's June 3 assessment of the season's first phase. (skysports.com) Formula One's official schedule and standings pages list Monaco as the next stop in the 2026 campaign. The weekend will give McLaren its first opportunity to respond on track after Stella's comments and to try to reduce a 113-point gap that is already defining its title defense. (formula1.com) (skysports.com)