New Delhi, Feb 23 : McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has suggested that Ferrari and Mercedes currently hold a slight edge heading into the 2026 Formula 1 season, following the conclusion of last weekâ??s final pre-season test.

The assessment comes after a strong showing from Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc finishing more than eight tenths of a second clear of Lando Norris on the final day of running. Leclerc also completed a competitive race simulation during the hotter part of the day, underlining Ferrariâ??s apparent pace.

While McLaren completed its planned programme ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 6-8, Stella admitted it remains difficult to draw firm conclusions about the competitive order.

"Very difficult to say. There is a race simulation that I was, I think, was on Thursday Oscar [Piastri] and [Max] Verstappen. It happened at a similar time of the day, and it was a similar pace,â?? Stella was quoted as saying by Sky Sports, when asked about the pecking order.

"Often, the race simulation is actually where you can more accurately see what the genuine performance of cars is. The reason why I think we have to be careful is that depending on the time of the day, then the race simulation may be quite a lot faster.

"Like now [on the last day] Lando, he was performing pretty strongly in a race simulation, but at the same time, probably the end of day three was the fastest time the track has been across the six days. So, difficult [to say]. I think McLaren and Red Bull are probably very similar. Ferrari and Mercedes are a step ahead."

The early indications suggest that the leading quartet could be separated by fine margins, with performance likely to fluctuate depending on circuit layout and prevailing conditions.

Red Bull Racing impressed during testing with its energy-deployment efficiency, a potentially decisive factor under the 2026 regulations, which allow electrical harvesting when drivers are off the throttle. Stella noted that circuit characteristics will significantly influence how effectively teams can balance harvesting and deployment.

"I think in 2026 we will have to look at the characteristics of the circuits, including this feature related to how easy it is as a circuit for the power unit requirement," he said.

"So Barcelona was actually relatively demanding in terms of balance between deployment and harvesting. In Bahrain, it was relatively easier because you spend enough time in braking that basically you do all the harvesting braking. You don't need to do anything special in terms of lifting off, for instance, in order to add the time at which you harvest your power unit.

"Now we go to Australia. In Australia we go back to one circuit in which it will be a bit more difficult. So in Australia it will be a little bit more difficult. I think we will see the drivers will be busier in terms of their driving style to make sure that the power unit is exploited in terms of harvesting energy and deployment of energy in a way that is efficient. And when we say efficient, it means efficient for a long time."

McLaren, which runs customer engines supplied by Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, continues to work closely with Mercedesâ?? High Performance Powertrains division. Stella acknowledged the benefits of the partnership but admitted there is scope to further refine how the power unit is integrated and managed.

"We are very grateful for the efforts that HPP have pulled off to make sure that we are making progress every single day. But I do see that there's still quite a lot to learn and definitely more work to do in terms of engine control, power unit control and power unit exploitation,â?? the Italian said.

"One thing we needed to learn is also how to use the features available in the power unit and what kind of new features you need to have available under the driver's control such that the power unit is not only competitive from a lap time point of view, but also from a raceability point of view, like when you have to compete with your rivals on track."

With the new regulatory cycle approaching and competitive gaps appearing marginal, Stellaâ??s comments point to a tightly contested start to 2026, one where technical execution and circuit-specific strengths could prove decisive from race to race.

/IANS