Their former driver Lewis Hamilton’s first Ferrari victory may have dominated the headlines after Barcelona, but McLaren left Spain encouraged after securing a podium and matching Ferrari as the highest-scoring team across the weekend.

Lando Norris finished third behind Hamilton and George Russell, giving Formula 1 its first all-British podium since 1968, while Oscar Piastri crossed the line fifth after a difficult afternoon in the sister MCL40.

The result marked a significant step forward for McLaren after a challenging run of races and reinforced the team's belief that it is moving back towards the sharp end of the grid.

Norris was quick to congratulate Hamilton while acknowledging McLaren still lacks the final ingredients needed to challenge consistently for victories: "First of all, huge congratulations to Lewis; it’s great to see him back on the top step. I’m really happy for him.

"It was a tough race out there today. I did absolutely everything I could to keep pace with the front runners, but they just had the edge on us. We made sure to stay right in the mix to capitalise on any opportunities, and while we ultimately benefited from some luck, I'm incredibly happy for the whole team to be back on the podium."

The reigning world champion admitted McLaren remains a step behind Ferrari and Mercedes despite encouraging progress: "Right now, we are just missing a little bit of everything to consistently fight for wins. We are making good progress and working exceptionally hard as a unit.

"Our competitors are doing a slightly better job at the moment. We have to give them credit, keep our heads down, and focus on our own development. I’m very pleased with the direction we’re heading in, and we will keep pushing hard to close that final gap," added the reigning world champion.

Piastri searching for answers

While Norris battled at the front, Piastri endured a more frustrating race after starting seventh and finishing fifth. The Australian struggled to find grip throughout the 66 laps and admitted the team's performance fluctuated significantly compared to Friday practice.

Piastri summed up: "A tricky day for us. We just struggled with grip and pace throughout the race, so we weren’t able to make any progress. The conditions today were also very different to Friday, where we felt a bit stronger. We need to do some work to understand why we found it so difficult."

Even so, Piastri saw positives in Norris's podium performance: "However, it is encouraging to see that on Lando’s side, we were able to be in the fight with Mercedes. The team was strong on pit stops; we had good reliability, and we maximised what we could in other places. We'll review, take the learnings, and see what we can do going into Austria."

Team principal Andrea Stella believes McLaren has taken a clear step forward but acknowledged Ferrari's recent gains have shifted the competitive picture at the front: "We saw a definite step forward today in our ability to compete with the front-runners, which is encouraging after the difficulties we faced in the last couple of races.

"It’s good news that we were able to stay with Mercedes, and we can take positives from our improved reliability this weekend. However, Ferrari has clearly made significant performance gains, with recent upgrades now positioning them as race winners. Therefore, as competitors, we know there is more to do."

Stella: Our analysis is very clear

Stella pinpointed aerodynamic performance and tyre management as the key areas preventing McLaren from joining Ferrari and Mercedes in the fight for victories: "Our analysis is very clear: we are reasonably competitive in the high-speed sections but need to add aerodynamic grip to improve in the medium- and low-speed corners, where we are currently losing out."

The Italian also suggested strategy may have played a role in the final outcome: "Today, the key differentiator in the race came down to tyre management. The way the car and driver interact with the tyres over a long stint is an area we must investigate and improve upon.

Reviewing strategy is also an area to highlight, as the three-stop option may have been the better route. However, ultimately Lewis Hamilton looked the strongest on the day, with Ferrari in a condition to contest at the front regardless."

McLaren now heads back to Woking with momentum restored after a difficult spell. Barcelona suggested the MCL40 has returned to podium-contending form, but Stella's message was clear: Ferrari's emergence as a race-winning force means the development race is only becoming more important as the 2026 Formula 1 season gathers pace.