McLaren says new front wing makes its car more predictable

McLaren’s 2027-spec front wing is making its car more predictable, the team says. Team principal Andrea Stella believes the change has also improved the MCL40’s driveability; the concept was introduced at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The front wing was part of a wider package brought to Interlagos. McLaren also introduced a rear wing, a beam wing and new floor components. The upgrades came after the team had lost ground to Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull over the previous couple of months.

Stella noted that McLaren’s earlier trackside upgrades had mainly sought to increase downforce, rather than change how the car behaved. “Normally, the upgrades that we have taken trackside did not affect the driveability of the car, they were just aimed at increasing the load,” he said. This time, the team was also trying to make the car easier to drive.

The team principal announced that more parts would arrive in Vegas. Their operation will need to take account of the airflow generated by the front wing, which he described as the main component in improving driveability and predictability. The aim is to continue aerodynamic development without expecting an immediate, substantial change to the car’s behaviour: Stella said a significant shift in that respect would require looking further towards next year.

His assessment of the new wing was measured. Stella said it was behaving as expected and that driver feedback, together with the data gathered, suggested the car had become a little easier to drive. That points to a specific improvement, but does not mean McLaren considers the car easy to drive already. Stella acknowledged that there is still a considerable gap between making the car somewhat more manageable and having a car that is easy to drive.

The current upgrades are also precursors to next year’s car, he said. For McLaren, then, the front-wing work is about more than an immediate gain: the team is trying to understand better how its upgrades affect the car’s behaviour while continuing its aerodynamic development. The additional parts announced for Vegas are part of that effort, although Stella does not expect them to bring a major short-term change in the car’s behaviour.