McLaren breaks curfew for second consecutive race with power unit work on both MCL40s

McLaren's second curfew break in as many races

McLaren confirmed after second practice in Barcelona that it would be using the second of its four curfew exemptions this season to work on both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri's cars. ^[1] McLaren said it will replace key components to "help improve the robustness of the installation and integration of the power unit" on both its MCL40s. ^[3]

This marks the second consecutive curfew break for McLaren, having also done so in Monaco following Norris's on-track stoppage on Friday. ^[4] The team also used a curfew exemption in Monaco to address issues that affected Norris's car after his FP2 session was cut short just 15 minutes into the running. ^[3]

What the regulations permit and what is now at stake

Parc fermé curfew breaks are tightly controlled by the FIA, with teams permitted four across the year. This is designed to prevent personnel from burning out during the pressures of a race weekend by working too many hours. ^[4] Should a team break curfew for a fifth time it is considered a sporting breach, with punishments ranging from fines to grid and time penalties. ^[4]

While using up the second of its four curfew exemptions so early in the season is a risk, given breaches beyond that come with penalties, the negatives of yet another failure would outweigh that. ^[2]

A pattern of power unit trouble in 2026

The team suffered a double pre-race electrical issue in China that prevented both Norris and Piastri starting, while Norris needed a new battery in Japan and retired from the Monaco Grand Prix with a power unit gremlin. ^[3] In Monaco, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella admitted his side has felt the downsides of being a customer team for the first time this season. ^[3]

Stella later clarified that the team played a curfew joker in Barcelona in order to change some parts around the power unit installation for fresher items; in essence, work that could not be done within the regular schedule.^[5]

:::analysis With half the season's permitted exemptions now spent before the midpoint of the year, McLaren's margin for further overnight interventions is narrow. A fifth breach would trigger FIA sporting sanctions, adding regulatory jeopardy to what is already a difficult reliability picture. The team's decision to act proactively rather than wait for a failure reflects a calculation that protecting race finishes matters more than hoarding exemptions. Whether the Barcelona work closes the power unit installation concerns for good will only become clear across the remaining race weekends. :::

Related reading

• Tire degradation explained
• The undercut: how it works and when teams deploy it

^[1]: McLaren. 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix – McLaren Qualifying Report. https://www.mclaren.com/racing/formula-1/2026/barcelona-catalunya-grand-prix/qualifying-report/ Accessed 2026-06-14. ^[2]: The Race. First hint at the root of McLaren's reliability problems. https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/mclaren-f1-curfew-broken-two-races-installation/ Accessed 2026-06-14. ^[3]: Crash.net. Why McLaren broke F1 curfew for second weekend running at Barcelona-Catalunya GP. https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1097795/1/why-mclaren-broke-f1-curfew-second-weekend-running Accessed 2026-06-14. ^[4]: Motorsport Week. McLaren break second F1 curfew at Barcelona GP. https://www.motorsportweek.com/2026/06/13/mclaren-break-second-f1-curfew-at-barcelona-gp/ Accessed 2026-06-14. ^[5]: Crash.net. Why now? Twice shelved McLaren F1 upgrade to race in Barcelona. https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1098502/1/why-now-twice-shelved-mclaren-f1-upgrade-race-barcelona Accessed 2026-06-14.