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McLaren's Tactical Eye on F1 Rivals' Wings

McLaren Probes Rival F1 Teams’ Rear Wings Tech

27/09/2024

McLaren F1 digs into rivals’ tech amid a growing ‘mini DRS’ controversy, sparking a fresh counterattack.

McLaren F1 has confirmed it is examining the technical elements of its Formula 1 rivals following the controversy over the “mini DRS” at Baku and Singapore.

Images of the ingenious design of the 2024 papaya-colored car’s rear wing caused a stir after the Azerbaijan GP.

Informally supported by Ferrari, Red Bull lodged three complaints with the FIA, and McLaren ultimately agreed to modify its wing design for the future.

The Woking-based team issued a statement after the agreement and “conversations” with the FIA, emphasizing that the low-downforce Baku wing “actually complies with regulations” and has passed “all deflection tests.”

“We also expect the FIA to have similar conversations with other teams regarding the compliance of their rear wings,” concluded McLaren’s statement.

A final sentence that cast doubt. Team boss Andrea Stella confirmed that McLaren indeed has concerns about the rear wing solutions on competing Formula 1 cars.

“This process has given us the opportunity to inform our competitors that we are also exercising due diligence with the FIA in terms of study.”

“We do not want to spend so much energy in the media trying to create big stories. We simply told the FIA what we think is happening, and we are confident they will talk to other teams and ensure they also modify their own wings or other technical elements.”

“These things may be less visible than ours, but they definitely exist.”

McLaren did not use the controversial rear wing in Singapore. However, the same setup with adaptations is expected to be used in Las Vegas.

As for why McLaren is proceeding with these changes even though the FIA has not made a judgment on the component, Stella explained that a decision was made in the best interest of the sport given the mounting tension.

“We want to have a proactive conversation with the FIA as it seems this story is gaining momentum. For us, making changes was quite straightforward, so it made sense to do so. It will not have a major impact on performance.”

McLaren's Tactical Eye on F1 Rivals' Wings

McLaren’s Tactical Eye on F1 Rivals’ Wings McLaren’s Tactical Eye on F1 Rivals’ Wings

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