McLaren Brings Experimental Rear Wing to Austrian GP Friday Practice
McLaren has confirmed it will run an experimental rear wing, understood to be an upside-down 'Macarena'-style design, across both Friday free practice sessions at the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix. The wing is a test item only and is not expected to race at Spielberg. Minor rear-corner updates to the MCL40 accompany the trial.
McLaren confirms experimental wing for Spielberg Friday sessions
McLaren is the latest F1 squad to trial an upside-down rear wing concept at the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix, following similar designs already seen at Ferrari and Red Bull.
The team confirmed the plan in its official Austrian GP preview, with technical director of applied engineering Neil Houldey stating: "We're always looking to make refinements that add performance and lap time to the car. For this event, we've focused on minor detail updates around the car's rear corners, as well as an experimental rear wing that will run throughout Friday's sessions." [1]
The new rear wing is treated as a test item and is not expected to be used in Austria beyond Friday practice; following careful analysis back at the factory, the design or a variant thereof could re-emerge later this season as a performance upgrade. [2] Running it in practice will give McLaren an important trial of the concept, presumably through back-to-back comparisons with the standard wing. [3]
The 'Macarena' concept and its origins
Ferrari shocked the F1 paddock in winter testing with a rear wing that rotated 180 degrees as straight mode was enabled, drawing interest from rivals as they looked to explore developing their own versions. [2] The system features a rotating upper rear wing element that flips into an inverted position on the straights, reducing drag and improving top speed while maintaining downforce through the corners. [2] Following further tests in China, Ferrari finally raced the design from the Miami Grand Prix; Red Bull also debuted its own interpretation of the wing in Miami. [4]
McLaren chief designer Rob Marshall had already singled out Ferrari's upside-down rear wing as an idea that caught his eye, saying at an event at the McLaren factory in Woking in April: "Everyone saw that and thought, 'oh, okay, yeah, that's all right." [3] Marshall noted that the team evaluates rival concepts closely, with some ideas closed off quickly once the regulations are examined while others remain open for further development. [3]
Championship context
McLaren heads to Austria on the back of Lando Norris claiming third at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, with Oscar Piastri finishing fifth; the results left the team third in the constructors' standings, 49 points off second place. [1] Houldey acknowledged the overall package at Spielberg is lighter than some recent updates, but framed every development as part of McLaren's season-long development pathway. [1]
:::analysis The Red Bull Ring's layout, with a high proportion of straight-mode activation zones, makes it a logical venue to gather data on a wing designed specifically to cut drag on straights. Friday practice gives McLaren two sessions of controlled comparison runs without the pressure of qualifying or race performance. Whether the Woking team eventually races the design likely depends on whether the aerodynamic gains outweigh any structural or reliability trade-offs identified during analysis of the Friday data. Given that both Ferrari and Red Bull have already committed to their own versions, a later-season race debut for McLaren's interpretation would not be surprising if the numbers stack up. :::
Related reading
- [1]Preview: The 2026 Austrian Grand Prix – presented by OKX (mclaren). Accessed 2026-06-24.
- [2]McLaren to trial upside-down rear wing at F1's Austrian GP (motorsport). Accessed 2026-06-24.
- [3]McLaren to debut its own 'upside down' F1 rear wing in Austria (the-race). Accessed 2026-06-24.
- [4]Explained: What is McLaren's 'experimental' F1 rear wing set for Austrian GP debut? (crash). Accessed 2026-06-24.