أزمة موثوقية ماكلارين وإعفاءات حظر التجول تشتعل في جائزة برشلونة الكبرى لموسم 2026

The 2026 Formula 1 season is being shaped, at least in this Barcelona weekend picture, by reliability and restricted-period work, with McLaren, Alpine, and Cadillac all tied to overnight activity reported as falling within permitted exemptions. Here is a breakdown of the key developments.

McLaren: Power unit woes and precautionary overnight work

• Monaco retirement and Norris's reliability pressure. Lando Norris retired his MCL40 on Lap 45 of the Monaco Grand Prix after McLaren tried unsuccessfully to mitigate a Mercedes power unit issue via steering-wheel adjustments. The retirement was reported as another power unit-related stoppage in a difficult reliability run for Norris.
• Engine penalty fears. Norris has admitted that engine grid penalties are now likely later in the year after a run of reliability problems.
• Barcelona curfew breach — both cars. At Barcelona, McLaren used its second permitted Restricted Period Three exemption to carry out precautionary work on both MCL40 cars overnight on Friday. The work was prompted by concerns arising from Norris's Monaco problems and focused on improving the robustness of the power unit installation and integration.
• Root cause focus. Reports indicate McLaren’s reliability concerns are centred on the installation and integration of the Mercedes power unit in the MCL40, rather than simply the core engine hardware itself.

Alpine: Chassis change for Gasly after FP1 struggles

• Suspension concern triggers overnight work. Pierre Gasly reported a suspected issue during Friday practice, and Alpine responded by switching him to the team’s spare chassis overnight.
• Curfew exemption used. The chassis change required Alpine to break curfew on Friday night, marking the team’s second permitted exemption of the season. The move was intended to address the problem that had affected Gasly’s running before qualifying and the race.

Cadillac: Third team breaking curfew at Barcelona

• Cadillac also appeared in the FIA curfew documentation alongside McLaren, with team personnel recorded as being inside the circuit during the restricted period. The FIA document records the matter as a permitted exemption rather than an immediate penalty-triggering offence.

All three teams operating without penalty

• McLaren and Alpine were both reported as using their second permitted exemptions, while Cadillac was also recorded by the FIA in the same restricted-period context. Under the reported exemption framework, these cases did not immediately trigger a formal sporting penalty.

Broader early-season reliability picture

• The wider context is a 2026 reset in which teams are bedding in brand-new cars and power units under new technical rules. F1’s Barcelona shakedown was held in private, with no independent media presence or official times, and was intended as an initial functionality check for the new machinery.
• Within that context, the Barcelona curfew cases fit a pattern of teams using restricted-period exemptions to deal with car-build, reliability, or component concerns during race weekends.