McLaren has confirmed it will run an “experimental rear wing” during Friday’s practice in Austria, as it trials a rotating rear wing concept.
McLaren is the third team to experiment with the ‘Macarena’ wing after Ferrari introduced it in pre-season testing, before the Scuderia and Red Bull raced variations of the striking design at the Miami Grand Prix.
McLaren to test rotating rear wing in Austria
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This year, having swapped DRS for active aerodynamics, the Formula 1 teams have had to redesign their cars’ wings, which now have flaps that can be in an ‘open’ or ‘closed’ position. That depends on the drag level required, with an ‘open’ wing improving the straight-line speed, and a ‘closed’ wing providing more downforce and grip.
It has seen some teams, beginning with Ferrari during pre-season testing, experiment with rear wings that Lewis Hamilton described as “flip-flop” designs.
Ferrari trialled it during the Bahrain test before adding further mileage during practice in China. However, it wasn’t until Miami that the team raced the ‘Macarena’ rear wing, where Red Bull also debuted its own version of the design.
McLaren is now the latest team to trial a rotating rear wing.
“We’re always looking to make refinements that add performance and lap time to the car,” Neil Houldey, McLaren technical director for applied engineering, said ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix.
“For this event, we’ve focused on minor detail updates around the car’s rear corners, as well as an experimental rear wing that will run throughout Friday’s sessions.
“While the overall package is lighter than some of our recent updates, these developments are all part of our season-long development pathway, and we’re continuing to look for every lap time opportunity wherever we can.”
However, copying its rivals’ rotating rear wings doesn’t guarantee that McLaren’s design will be a success.
Speaking to The Race in April about Ferrari’s ‘Macarena wing’, McLaren chief designer Rob Marshall said: “Ultimately, we do analyse everything to a certain extent. Some things go as far as being wind tunnel tested or CFD tested.
“Others are more kind of thought experiments we do on them to see whether we think that they would be good or bad for us.
“It is a common phrase in F1 that basically copying stuff doesn’t work because what works on one car doesn’t work on another.
“Actually, that’s not necessarily true. Some things work on other people’s cars.
“Remember with double diffusers. It worked on one person’s car. Everyone copied it. And you know what? It worked on those as well.”
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McLaren arrived at the Red Bull Ring as the defending Austrian Grand Prix champions, but Houldey concedes that repeating Lando Norris’s 2025 victory won’t be easy.
McLaren, though, remains hopeful.
“Austria has historically been a strong track for us, and while we take nothing for granted in such a tight field, we are optimistic that the car and driver characteristics will again suit the circuit, putting us in the fight at the front,” he said.
McLaren has yet to win a Grand Prix this season with Mercedes dominating the early rounds before Lewis Hamilton ended the Brackley squad’s streak at the Barcelona Grand Prix.
Mercedes lead the constructors’ championship on 262 points, 72 points ahead of Ferrari, with McLaren a further 49 points off the pace in third place.
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Originally published by Planet F1 —
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