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F1 power units

Who Builds McLaren’s 2026 F1 Power Unit—and How the Customer-Engine Model Works

Mercedes-AMG HPP develops the power unit in McLaren’s 2026 MCL40. Here’s how McLaren’s customer-team role differs from Mercedes’ works operation.

By CarCody Team 3 min read
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Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains (HPP), based in Brixworth, UK, develops the power unit used by McLaren’s 2026 Formula 1 car. McLaren’s MCL40 is specified with the Mercedes-AMG F1 M17 E PERFORMANCE. McLaren is a customer team, not Mercedes’ works team: it works with HPP and contributes engineering input, but McLaren says the works operation is more closely involved in the main development loop and has the final say on decisions.

Who builds McLaren’s 2026 Formula 1 power unit?

Mercedes-AMG HPP develops the unit, while McLaren designs and builds the MCL40 around it. McLaren’s announced supply agreement with Mercedes-Benz runs from 2026 through 2030. The company identified Brixworth, UK, as the location of HPP’s development centre for the new power unit. McLaren’s 2023 agreement announcement describes McLaren as a customer alongside the Mercedes works team.

What power unit is in the McLaren MCL40?

McLaren’s 2026 car specification names the power unit as the Mercedes-AMG F1 M17 E PERFORMANCE. Its listed components include an internal-combustion engine (ICE), Motor Generator Unit–Kinetic (MGU-K), turbocharger, energy store and power-unit control electronics. The ICE is a 1.6-litre, six-cylinder, 90-degree V6, and the MGU-K’s stated maximum power is 350 kW. McLaren’s MCL40 specification identifies the model and component figures.

What does “customer engine” mean for McLaren?

In this arrangement, Mercedes-AMG HPP develops and supplies the power unit and provides technical support; McLaren operates it in a car of its own design. That includes working with HPP on configuration and deployment rather than simply receiving an engine and being left to work alone. McLaren reported that its own staff and HPP personnel worked together to activate the installed power unit during the MCL40’s first fire-up. McLaren’s fire-up account describes that joint work.

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McLaren contributes, but is not the works team

McLaren Technical Director – Performance Mark Temple described the difference in the relationship with the works programme: “We do have considerable input, but ultimately MGP have the final say with HPP on what happens.” He said McLaren’s connection to HPP’s main programme operates as a side loop: customer support and regular contact can give McLaren influence, but do not guarantee its requests will be accepted. McLaren also says it does not participate in every decision or development step before it learns what configuration will be available. These points are McLaren’s account of the working relationship, not the text of the supply contract.

What McLaren’s own engineers do

McLaren has a power-unit performance group that analyses how the unit should be used in the specific conditions of its car. In McLaren’s description, HPP runs simulations and proposes energy-use or configuration options for an event and session. McLaren’s group checks those options using its tools and conditions such as wind, grip and fuel load, then makes recommendations with HPP engineers. The two organisations collaborate but use some different tools. McLaren’s account of its response to the 2026 regulations explains the customer-side process.

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The practical distinction is access to the manufacturer’s development and decision process, not a different model named for the customer car. McLaren specifies the M17 E PERFORMANCE for the MCL40; its account of the works relationship says Mercedes’ operation is more integrated into design and installation decisions. The available account does not establish the exact legal terms of the contract or provide an independent assessment of technical parity.

How the 2026 power-unit rules change the picture

The 2026 formula retains a 1.6-litre V6 turbo but removes the MGU-H and gives the MGU-K a substantially larger role. McLaren describes the intended power contribution as approximately 50 per cent combustion and 50 per cent electrical. That is a high-level description of the formula, not a guarantee of an exact split at every moment or circuit. McLaren’s 2026 regulation explainer outlines the changes.

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McLaren’s fan Q&A puts the MGU-K maximum-power change at 120 kW under the previous rules and 350 kW under the 2026 rules. The 350 kW figure also appears in McLaren’s MCL40 specification as the MGU-K’s stated maximum. McLaren’s regulation Q&A gives the comparison. Those figures describe maximum power, not the electrical contribution at every instant.

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What customer status does—and does not—tell you

McLaren’s account supports a difference in how directly a team participates in the supplier’s main development loop, when it receives configuration information and who makes final decisions. The chassis team’s own setup and analysis also shape how it deploys the supplied unit. It does not support the broader claim that McLaren has no engineering input, nor does it establish that its specified power-unit model differs from the Mercedes works team’s. The precise contractual terms and an independent evaluation of parity are not established in the cited McLaren material.

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