McLaren followed Mercedes’ example, developing a low downforce wing for one of the most energy-critical tracks of the year. At Spa the MCL40 mounts a new rear wing, also tweaked in the outer endplate flaps to try to make up for the lack of straight-line speed of the papaya car. The world champions instead preferred to postpone the debut of their version of the Macarena, already present in the paddock in Austria.
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The new wing for Spa
In Belgium the MCL40 is equipped with a new rear wing, featuring both general updates and adaptations to the Ardennes track. A first difference lies in the endplate flaps, stripped of the upward external bulges, whose influence on the flows was evidently considered not optimal. The wing profiles, on the other hand, are specific for Spa and the following low downforce tracks, with a reduced chord compared to the previous specification. Different is also the actuator of the movable elements, from which the upper linkage has disappeared.
On the eve it was thought that the new wing arriving at Spa coincided with the Woking team’s version of the Macarena. McLaren confirmed that it is working on its own inverted mobile wing, which was already present in the paddock in Austria. However, on that occasion the team realized that some issues still needed to be fixed to ensure its proper functioning, postponing its track debut to a date yet to be determined.
Read more Mercedes changes setup and Antonelli flies: Ferrari (for now) on the defensive
Waiting for the next package
Meanwhile, McLaren continues to work on a more substantial general update package. The upcoming novelties will straighten the aerodynamic concept of the MCL40, correcting its flow field after acknowledging the project’s limitations. The hope in Woking is to be able to repeat the path taken in 2023, when a concept change was followed by a slow climb to the world title.
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