Lando Norris F1 title boost as McLaren introduce genius upgrade at Italian Grand Prix

McLaren

Lando Norris F1 title boost as McLaren introduce genius upgrade at Italian Grand Prix

Exciting times

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson F1 Editor

Motorsport journalist covering F1 since 2024

Wednesday 2 September 2026 15:27

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Lando Norris is set to be handed another boost in his bid to get back into the F1 title fight this season, with McLaren set to deliver a genius upgrade at the Italian Grand Prix.

Just a few weeks ago, it looked certain that Norris would not retain his drivers' championship this season, with McLaren lagging behind Mercedes and Ferrari in this year's development race.

However, a major upgrade package introduced at the Hungarian Grand Prix ahead of the summer break has seen the team become instantly more competitive, with Norris taking back-to-back wins in Budapest and Zandvoort either side of F1's mid-season pause.

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The Brit still has huge ground to make up, but McLaren are doing everything they can to give him a car capable of challenging, including introducing their new 'H-Wing' at Monza this weekend.

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What is McLaren's H-Wing and where did it get its name?

McLaren's 'H-Wing' is essentially their answer to the so-called 'Macarena' wings we have already seen at Ferrari and Red Bull this season.

With active aerodynamics having been re-introduced to F1 in 2026, Ferrari turned heads in pre-season testing when the rear wing of the SF-26 began to rotate down the straights, opening up a huge gap that allowed them to drop more drag.

It took them a few months, but Ferrari eventually raced with the 'Macarena' wing on their car at the Miami Grand Prix in May, as did rivals Red Bull, who had also developed their own version.

Now, McLaren has joined the party, and after testing their rotating wing in Hungary in July, they're now set to race with it in Italy, albeit theirs has a different name.

So, why 'H-Wing'? McLaren have explained all: “The H-Wing’s naming convention pays homage to McLaren’s innovative F-duct, which debuted in 2010 and took its name from the ‘F’ in the branding positioned alongside the system’s inlet on the car.

“In the same spirit, the H-Wing is named after the ‘H’ in Etihad Airways branding displayed on the rear wing as part of the team’s partnership with the airline.”

On top of the H-Wing, McLaren have also confirmed that they will bring 'some minor aerodynamic updates' to Monza, as well as 'previously declared parts' that they feel will help the MCL40 extract maximum performance at the power-demanding circuit in Italy.

The MCL40 will have a new rear wing in Monza / Credit: Imago

More performance to unlock from MCL40

Speaking ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, McLaren's technical director of applied engineering, Neil Houldey, explained the team's plans in detail.

"This weekend, we have brought what we believe is needed to be competitive, including a new low-drag rear wing specification, including the first use of our H-Wing, alongside some small aerodynamic and low-drag options that we will evaluate before deciding the final specification for Qualifying."

Despite their recent success, Houdey says McLaren know that there is more performance to extract from their car, in exciting news for Norris' title bid.

"Overall, we know there is still more performance to unlock from the MCL40, both through maximising the package we already have and through further upgrades planned for the races ahead."

F1 standings ahead of Italian Grand Prix

With the aforementioned upgrades, Norris will hope he can close the gap on championship leader Kimi Antonelli in Monza, but getting himself back in the title fight won't be easy.

The defending champion trails the current points leader by 83 points after 12 rounds of the 2026 campaign.

2026 F1 Driver Standings
Pos	Driver	Team	Points
1	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	242
2	George Russell	Mercedes	183
3	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	183
4	Lando Norris	McLaren Mastercard	159
5	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	155
6	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	112
7	Oscar Piastri	McLaren Mastercard	104
8	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull Racing	68
9	Liam Lawson	Red Bull Racing	49
10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	44
11	Arvid Lindblad	Racing Bulls	23
12	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	19
13	Oliver Bearman	Haas	18
14	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi Revolut	10
15	Nico Hülkenberg	Audi Revolut	6
16	Carlos Sainz	Williams	6
17	Alexander Albon	Williams	5
18	Esteban Ocon	Haas	3
19	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	3
20	Yuki Tsunoda	Racing Bulls	0
21	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	0
22	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac	0
23	Sergio Pérez	Cadillac	0