Wind Tunnel Efficiency Key for McLaren's Success

Andrea Stella believes McLaren’s focus on wind tunnel efficiency, rather than increased time, ensures sustained progress despite 2025 limitations.

Andrea Stella is not concerned about the reduction in wind tunnel development time in 2025, following McLaren F1’s Constructors’ Championship victory. According to him, the key will be making better use of that development time.

“You always aim for the championship lead if possible, then look to improve efficiency in aerodynamic development by combining CFD and wind tunnel time, as the two complement each other,” Stella stated.

Stella emphasized that Woking’s new wind tunnel has contributed to progress but also highlighted the logistical advantages it provides: “The new wind tunnel is undoubtedly a major step forward. However, the real breakthrough lies in logistics.”

“I always point out that last year’s upgrades in Austin and Singapore were designed and developed in the Toyota wind tunnel. But when developing at Toyota’s facility, you have the part ready, and it’s tested two days later due to shipping delays.”

“Now, the part is ready and tested two hours later, improving efficiency. But in reality, the efficiency of the pursuit is not solely due to the wind tunnel but to the overall aerodynamic development approach.”

“And I must say, we’ve seen – and experienced firsthand – that even with increasing restrictions on development time, how you generate knowledge and efficiency remains by far the most critical factor.”

The Italian stresses that progress is not necessarily correlated with wind tunnel time but with its effective use: “Having three times as much wind tunnel time doesn’t necessarily mean developing the car three times faster. That’s not the case.”

“This year, we’ve seen this very clearly, as some teams made track developments that didn’t translate into progress. It’s not necessarily about quantity; we invest heavily in the quality of development.”