McLaren surpassed even its personal pre-season expectations in 2024, taking its first System 1 constructors’ championship title for 26 years.
While the workforce clearly had a few main waypoints in its improvement cycle that improved the overall working envelope of the MCL38, a standout characteristic of its marketing campaign was the way it honed its automotive to the various circuit traits.
These updates largely centred across the beam wing and rear wing, with a big proportion of its improvement finances expended there.
This resulted within the workforce having eight completely different rear wing options, while its beam wing choices prolonged out additional, with 14 completely different iterations put into play.
To present some context to those numbers, Pink Bull launched simply 5 completely different rear wing options and had 4 beam wing variants, Mercedes had 5 completely different beam wing and rear wing designs (albeit not launched in tandem), while Ferrari matched its rival with the variety of rear wing updates however had simply eight beam wing choices at its disposal too.
Breaking that down additional, whereas Ferrari is the closest by way of the quantity of choices declared within the FIA automotive presentation paperwork, the ‘updates’ it set forth for Suzuka and Monza weren’t truly new and have been in reality carried over from 2023 as an alternative.

Ferrari SF-24 rear wing Monaco GP comparability
Photograph by: Giorgio Piola
Moreover, the replace Ferrari launched in Imola was an general effectivity change, with the tip part revised, relatively than there being a brand new mainplane and higher flap (above).
This brings the variety of new options aimed toward bettering the automotive for various circuit traits right down to seven, which continues to be greater than Pink Bull and Mercedes however not fairly on the identical stage as McLaren.
Made to suit
From a numbers perspective, it’s clear that groups have to make use of the identical options at a number of venues, with just a few outliers designed and constructed to deal with particular duties.
Nevertheless, one space that has been improved with this era of laws is the reintroduction of the beam wing.
The flexibility to make use of one or two components inside the allowable field area has given designers a large number of choices by way of design.
They will load or unload the weather throughout their span and supply a less expensive methodology of tuning the downforce and drag generated by the higher rear wing components.
So, let’s check out the assorted options that McLaren used through the course of 2024, given that there have been extra races than specs at its disposal, with some races clearly not as totally optimised as others.

Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38
Photograph by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Photos
Variant 1 rear wing and beam wing have been utilized in Bahrain, with the workforce having already collected knowledge on them through the pre-season take a look at on the identical venue. The rear wing appears typical for this era with a deeper central part for the mainplane that extrudes upwards because it reaches the endplate.
This spoon-shaped mainplane was complemented by a equally crafted higher flap, while the designers employed a semi-detached tip part that rolls over on the top to match the factors of its endplate cutout within the higher rear quarter.
The beam wing was a single-element answer however with a a lot deeper central part that’s unloaded towards the information.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
Photograph by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Photos
The introduction of Variant 2 got here in Saudi Arabia, the place the beam and rear wings are clearly from the identical household of options, with related options to the wing seen in Bahrain.
Nevertheless, the wing profiles take up much less area inside the allowable field areas, whereas there’s a extra round notch used within the centre of the higher, relatively than the V-shaped one used with Variant 1.

McLaren MCL38 rear wing comparability
Photograph by: Motorsport Photos
The Australian Grand Prix noticed the workforce utilise Variant 2 as soon as once more, though there’s an important distinction that confirmed how the workforce was constructing in adaptability for the assorted circuit traits.
On this occasion, the tip part was trimmed throughout its nook (dotted yellow line, Saudi Arabia inset), which has an influence on the tip vortex and alters the downforce and drag generated by the meeting.
It’s clear that this was all the time a plan when the design was conceived, as there’s a metallic insert used within the nook of the tip part that permits it to be trimmed with out exposing the internal core of the part.
Provided that this rear wing wasn’t thought-about new within the automotive presentation paperwork however had a big modification, we’ll confer with it as Variant 2.5 any more.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
Photograph by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Photos
It was again to Variant 1 for McLaren in Japan and China, with the workforce needing some extra downforce for the challenges posed by Suzuka and Shanghai.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
Photograph by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Photos
Miami noticed the arrival of McLaren’s first huge replace bundle of the season, with important adjustments made to the bodywork entrance to rear, together with one other new beam wing arriving. This featured a extra offloaded strategy at its ideas, while Variant 2.5 was used by way of the rear wing.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
Photograph by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Photos
New, high-downforce rear and beam wings have been famous within the automotive presentation doc forward of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix (Variant 3) however the rear wing was solely briefly put in on Oscar Piastri’s MCL38 to gather some knowledge earlier than being exchanged for the Variant 2 answer that each drivers raced.
The brand new beam wing (V4) stayed on the automotive and provided a bi-plane fashion association, relatively than the only components used up till this level.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
Photograph by: Erik Junius
As anticipated, McLaren put in the highest-downforce beam and rear wing association that it had developed in Monaco (Variant 4), with the mainplane taking over way more of the allowable field area proper throughout its span.
In the meantime, the tip part featured a way more squared-off outer profile than the opposite wings in its pool, following a development already set by a few of its rivals.

McLaren MCL38 technical element
Photograph by: Giorgio Piola
Variant 1 reappeared for each the Canadian and Austrian grands prix, because the workforce regarded to steadiness the automotive for the wants of each circuits.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
Photograph by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Photos
The unraced Variant 3 rear wing from the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix made a return for the Spanish Grand Prix, as extra load was wanted to take care of the calls for of the Circuit de Catalunya however not sufficient to warrant the Variant 4 that was used at Monaco.
These two wings could possibly be thought-about to be in the identical household as each other although, as they share related design options, with the decrease form of the mainplane and transition alike.

McLaren MCL38 B wing British GP
Photograph by: Giorgio Piola
A number of new variants arrived on the British Grand Prix, with a brand new rear wing (V4) and three new beam wings being deployed (V5-7). The workforce famous that the latter could be used as a method to trim the brand new rear wing in accordance with the extent of downforce and drag required.
Nevertheless, these options weren’t raced at Silverstone, with Variant 2 favoured as an alternative, as the brand new answer would make its race debut a couple of races later.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
Photograph by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Photos
To match the downforce necessities of the Hungaroring, McLaren put in Variant 4, final seen on the Monaco Grand Prix, and paired it with the suitably high-downforce bi-plane beam wing association.

McLaren MCL38 rear wing
Photograph by: Giorgio Piola
McLaren listed one other new low-downforce beam and rear wing answer within the automotive presentation doc forward of the Belgian Grand Prix however enlisted the answer that was launched however was unused on the British Grand Prix (V4).
The fifth rear wing variant and eighth beam wing variant would later emerge as candidates for the Italian Grand Prix however weren’t truly raced till Las Vegas.

McLaren MCL38 rear wing, Dutch GP
Photograph by: Giorgio Piola
The sixth rear wing and ninth beam wing variants arrived on the Dutch Grand Prix and had all of the hallmarks of the opposite wings on the upper finish of the downforce and drag spectrum, albeit with rather less load than their counterparts.

McLaren MCL38 rear wing
Photograph by: Giorgio Piola
The fourth rear wing variant, final seen in Belgium, was used as soon as once more in Azerbaijan and was thrown below the highlight after the race, as onboard footage had revealed that the corners of the higher flap have been flexing upward on the straights.
The characteristic was rapidly dubbed “mini-DRS”, because the flexion was permitting the slot hole to open up in that area and was possible offering a straightline velocity increase, even when DRS wasn’t deployed.

McLaren MCL38 beam wing comparability
Photograph by: Giorgio Piola
The Variant 7 rear wing could possibly be discovered on the automotive for each the Singapore and United States Grand Prix, with new bi-plane-style beam wing options, each of which have been trimmed to higher go well with the calls for of every circuit.
In a stunning transfer provided that groups have traditionally used their most loaded rear wing answer in Mexico because of the altitude, Variant 7 was favoured as soon as extra.
It might additionally characteristic as soon as extra, in Qatar, because the workforce took benefit of the wing’s traits and the array of beam wing choices at its disposal.

McLaren MCL38 #81 Rear wing
Photograph by: Giorgio Piola
One other new rear wing variant (V8) and two extra beam wing options (V13/14). The rear wing had a extra deltoid-shaped vanguard than earlier specification wings on this vary, while the 2 beam wing choices sat at both finish of the spectrum to permit some freedom inside their set-up.
The workforce used this new association for the dash however opted to modify to Variant 7 for qualifying and the race, given the approaching change in climate situations.

McLaren MCL38 rear wing element, Las Vegas GP
Photograph by: Giorgio Piola
McLaren initially ready the automotive with a higher-downforce association however rolled the cube in Las Vegas with the lowest-downforce choice at its disposal.
Rear wing Variant 6 had been within the pool of choices for the reason that Belgian Grand Prix and had solely seen the sunshine of day briefly at Monza earlier than being swapped out for a higher-downforce association.
However, given the calls for of the road circuit, the workforce opted to pair it with a suitably low-drag beam wing.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
Photograph by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Photos
The eighth variant rear wing was used on the season finale in Abu Dhabi and was paired with the single-element beam wing, relatively than the higher-downforce bi-plane-style beam wing association utilized in Brazil.
Header
As you’ll be able to see, McLaren clearly retired a few of its earlier designs because it moved by way of the season, with new variants of its medium-high and medium-low downforce options approaching stream through the tail finish of the season.
Nevertheless, the workforce additionally had extra outlier options at its disposal too, which allowed it to be a bit of extra selective at every venue. Totally different preparations have been examined throughout free follow classes earlier than choices have been finally made about which variants offered the most effective steadiness between qualifying and the race.
The big range of choices on the workforce’s disposal additionally offered extra respiratory room when it got here to discovering the correct steadiness for the opposite elements in play, together with the impact that altitude has on the automotive’s behaviour.
The outfit’s means to design, take a look at and manufacture this big range of beam wing and rear wing options was partly on account of its place within the standings going into 2024 and its progress through the season.
This noticed the squad ease its method by way of every Aerodynamic Testing Interval (ATP) and reposition itself towards the wind tunnel and CFD testing limits because it climbed from fourth to first within the constructors’ championship.
It would now be attention-grabbing to see how McLaren approaches 2025, as it’s going to have, a minimum of for the primary ATP interval, the least wind tunnel and CFD runs of any workforce. That is additionally important after we take into account how the workforce has to steadiness the event of its 2026 automotive, which all squads can start work on from 1 January.
However the early phrase from McLaren is that it isn’t planning simply an evolutionary step for 2025 because it weapons for each titles.
Talking on the Autosprint Golden Helmets celebrations on Thursday night time, McLaren workforce boss Andrea Stella mentioned: “No, we’re taking dangers within the design decisions.
“The strategy to the following championship might be brave as a result of we’ll give attention to innovation.
“Through the summer time, after we approached the 2025 automotive, we determined that we would have liked to make a leap in high quality if the ambition is to additionally purpose for the drivers’ title.
“We wish to make the championship a bit extra boring and perhaps not be as shut because it was this yr.
“In actuality I believe the problem will nonetheless be very thrilling with 4 groups battling.”
Further reporting by Franco Nugnes
On this article
Matt Somerfield
System 1
McLaren
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