McLaren F1 abandon radical design plan after last-minute issue

McLaren

McLaren F1 abandon radical design plan after last-minute issue

No Macarena wing this week...

Chris Deeley

Saturday 27 June 2026 08:58 Updated: 09:08

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McLaren made a late decision to steer away from plans to test out a new rear wing at the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend.

The reigning constructors' champions have developed a wing which emulates the way that Ferrari and Red Bull's rear wings are hinged to flip through 180 degrees, but that design has not yet been seen on track.

The team had intended to run the wing on Lando Norris' car in practice in Austria, per The Race, but decided against it after some issues came up in their pre-session checks.

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The wing, which had already been fitted to the reigning drivers' champion's car, then had to be removed before the session. Of course, Norris ended up stuck in the garage for almost all of the hour-long period thanks to a hydraulic issue.

Norris: Innovative wing is 'cool'

The team has since confirmed that it will not attempt to attach the wing for any other sessions this weekend, meaning that Silverstone next weekend is the earliest possible time it may appear on track.

McLaren had never planned to run the wing in the race though, intending to wait some time and do more work before they look to use the wing in a competitive session.

“It's not an easy project,” Lando Norris explained at the track this weekend. “It takes time to figure out such a complicated wing like this. But it's cool, it's innovative, it's nice to see.

“It was pretty cool to see Ferrari have it at the beginning of the year. It's amazing what someone who understands the rules and regulations, and understands the wording, how you kind of work around these. I wish we had it three months ago already!”

F1 McLaren Lando Norris