McLaren may present an important technical novelty at the Canadian Grand Prix of Formula 1. The British team is considering introducing in Montreal its own version of the so-called ‘Macarena’ rear wing, an aerodynamic solution created by Ferrari that has already sparked interest among competitors since the pre-season tests in Bahrain.
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The component gained prominence due to the fully adjustable flap of the rear wing used by Ferrari on the SF-26. The solution caught attention in the paddock for the unusual approach adopted by the Italian team, historically seen as more conservative in aerodynamic terms.
Red Bull Racing was the first team to follow the concept developed in Maranello. Max Verstappen’s team brought its own interpretation of the piece to Miami, as part of a broad update package for the RB22.
Meanwhile, McLaren focused the evolutions presented in Miami on other areas of the MCL40. The changes mainly involved sidepods, floor, and front wing, without a significant overhaul of the rear wing at that time.
Behind the scenes, however, rumors grew after the American round, indicating that the second phase of the team’s aerodynamic package would arrive precisely in Montreal. The main highlight would be the debut of the new rear wing inspired by the concept used by Ferrari.
McLaren boss Andrea Stella had already stated earlier that McLaren would split its updates between Miami and Canada. According to the information released, the team spent the last two months thoroughly analyzing the potential of the piece before concluding that it could bring real performance gains to the MCL40.
The production of the new component, however, presented technical difficulties due to the different articulation points responsible for the flap’s movement, compared to the conventional central actuator. Even so, the units needed for both cars, as well as spare parts, would have been completed in time to be sent to Canada.
Even so, there is still no confirmation about the use of the novelty already this coming weekend. The main doubt is related to the Sprint format of the Canadian GP, which reduces the time available to evaluate new components, since there will be only one TL1 session before competitive activities. Still, Ferrari, Red Bull, and McLaren itself have already introduced important updates in Miami under the same reduced track format.
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