McLaren feels the controversy generated by its rear wings in Formulation 1’s 2024 season is a “level of delight”, exhibiting simply how far the group has come.
The design of McLaren’s low downforce rear wings raised eyebrows in Azerbaijan, the place at larger speeds the higher ingredient appeared to rotate again greater than rival groups have been comfy with, opening up a slot hole between the 2 components dubbed a mini DRS.
After rivals questioned the legality of the design, the FIA deemed McLaren’s rear wings throughout the laws.
Nevertheless, the governing physique nonetheless requested the group to make adjustments to keep away from forcing different groups into developing with comparable designs and opening up a brand new arms race to additional exploit the laws round aeroelasticity.
Subsequently, McLaren made modifications to its full vary of rear wings, and a few rival groups have additionally needed to make integrity tweaks to their higher flaps.
Wanting again on considered one of F1 2024’s important technical intrigues, McLaren’s engineering technical director Neil Houldey says the controversy surrounding its mini DRS is seen by the group as a praise that exhibits simply how a lot it has change into an innovator quite than a midfielder lagging behind the likes of Pink Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes.
“If you happen to return 12 months, nobody was concerned about what we have been doing,” Houldey instructed Autosport in an unique interview. “So, as a group really there is a sense of delight there, that there are different groups on the market involved about their place within the championship, involved about what we’re doing.

McLaren MCL38 technical element
Photograph by: Giorgio Piola
“We are able to return and say: ‘Really, nicely achieved, guys. You’ve got acquired folks up and down pit lane taking a look at what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and attempting to emulate us.’ It is a good state of affairs to be in and it demonstrates simply how a lot has occurred within the final 18 months, and demonstrates the efficiency that we have placed on the automobile.
“We did it figuring out the answer was authorized. There was suggestions from different groups that weren’t proud of it. And really the FIA, after discussing it with us, did not need that proliferating and did not need to drive different groups to have to seek out these options.
“So, they requested us to drop the impact to a degree that was just like a number of the different groups; really barely decrease, as a result of different groups, there are just a few different groups who needed to make comparable adjustments.
“We have been completely satisfied to do this. We’ll attempt to take alternatives the place we will, simply as everybody else does. However we’re all the time attempting to work with the FIA for one of the best of the game.”
McLaren’s contested low downforce wing was considered one of a number of new rear wing designs the Woking-based squad delivered to the observe in 2024, with its long-time lack of aerodynamic effectivity one of many key areas the group tried to deal with for this 12 months, having seen an enormous deficit to Pink Bull’s main designs in 2023.
Alongside the massive leap McLaren made with the excellent Miami improve package deal that turned the MCL38 right into a race winner, the aggressive rear wing growth throughout the varied downforce ranges is hailed as making a big contribution to McLaren defeating Ferrari and Pink Bull for its first constructors’ title since 1998.
“It was fairly clear that our rear wings weren’t optimum final season, each from an effectivity perspective and likewise the DRS impact, and so it was an space of focus for us by means of 2023 and into this 12 months, to make sure that we turned class main,” Houldey defined.
“And to change into class-leading, it was inevitable that we have been going to be creating loads of wings that simply additional improved our efficiency. I believe that is demonstrated itself, that effort to make sure that the place we noticed a weak point was really an actual energy of the automobile, and a part of the explanation why it was as fast as it’s.
“It is getting there and I would say we’re now very, very shut [to Red Bull’s strong DRS effect]. It is not an space that we will cease creating in, in order with all of this automobile there’s loads nonetheless that we will do, and loads of efficiency we all know we will nonetheless placed on the automobile.”
On this article
Filip Cleeren
Formulation 1
McLaren
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