The 2026 FIA Formula 1 World Championship heads to the Shanghai International Circuit this weekend for the Chinese Grand Prix as McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team looks to build on its opening weekend of the season.

Following the first race of the season in Melbourne that saw the team secure ten points, attention now turns to the fast and technical challenge of Shanghai, where the team will aim to continue its learning and progression in the early stages of 2026.

Double the racing and extra points will be on offer this weekend as the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix will host Sprint race number one of the six scheduled for the season, the first of its kind under the new regulations. The reduced practice time provides the team with the challenge of trying to maximise learnings in the new car, but full focus will remain on important aspects such the management and exploitation of potential further performance from the power unit.

Neil Houldey, Technical Director - Applied Engineering: "We have gathered and analysed lots of data across multiple areas since the MCL40 first took to track in January's shakedown, and last weekend's first race of the season in Australia provided the team with further valuable information as we continue our journey of development and learning under the new regulations.

"To see the car in various scenarios under racing conditions for the first time was a good opportunity for new knowledge progression, and we understand that there is still a lot to do as we continue to work hard to further exploit the performance of the power unit while also putting additional focus on areas such as improving grip in corners.

"The next few races will continue to see this focus in place as we look to extract the maximum performance from our current configuration. There is a lot of effort by the team, both trackside and in Woking, to develop the car, but we are aware that this will take a few more races to be in a position to bring any major upgrades to track.

"Therefore, going into this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix, we have collectively taken all of our learnings from Melbourne and regrouped as a team together with our HPP partners to make sure that we deliver as much performance as possible to put the team in a strong competitive position for opportunities in both Saturday's Sprint Race and Sunday's Grand Prix."

Shanghai International Circuit

Race laps: 56
Circuit length: 5.451km/3.387 miles
Total race distance: 305.066km/189.559 miles
Number of corners: 16 (9 right, 7 left)
Allocated tyre compounds: Hard: C2, Medium: C3 & Soft: C4