McLaren brings 'Macarena' rear wing to Red Bull Ring as F1's aerodynamic arms race intensifies
McLaren will run an experimental rotating rear wing, widely dubbed the 'Macarena wing', across both Friday practice sessions at the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix. The part is fitted to Lando Norris's MCL40 for data gathering only and is not scheduled to race this weekend. It makes McLaren the third team to trial the concept, after Ferrari and Red Bull.
What McLaren is bringing to Spielberg
McLaren will run an "experimental" rear wing during Friday practice at the Austrian Grand Prix, with Oscar Piastri confirming it will only be tested and not raced at this stage.
In McLaren's pre-weekend preview, Technical Director of Applied Engineering Neil Houldey pointed to several upgrades for the MCL40 as the reigning World Champions push to close the gap to the front of the field under F1's new era. [1]
Among the new parts is an "experimental rear wing" expected to have similarities with Ferrari's rotating 'Macarena wing', which drew attention in the paddock when it was first unveiled during pre-season. [3] 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]
Piastri: test item only, fitted to Norris's car
Speaking during Thursday's FIA press conference, Piastri confirmed McLaren's latest design is strictly for evaluation and will be fitted only to Lando Norris's car during Friday practice, saying: "No, we won't race it. I believe it's on Lando's car tomorrow. It's to test out; it's not ready to race at the moment." [6] It is understood that McLaren will trial the upside-down rear wing as a test item in Friday practice at the Red Bull Ring, but is unlikely to race it until later in the season. [5]
The 'Macarena' concept and its 2026 origins
McLaren is the third team to experiment with the 'Macarena' wing after Ferrari introduced it in pre-season testing, before the Scuderia and Red Bull raced variations of the striking design at the Miami Grand Prix. [4] This year, having swapped DRS for active aerodynamics, Formula 1 teams have had to redesign their cars' wings, which now have flaps that can be in an 'open' or 'closed' position; an 'open' wing improves straight-line speed, while a 'closed' wing provides more downforce and grip. [4] 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] Red Bull came up with its own upside-down rear wing at the Miami Grand Prix, although this design differed in how it operated. [2]
McLaren's words on the update package
In its team statement, McLaren noted that a week at the factory in Woking provided time to analyse data from recent races; "as part of this continued momentum, the team will deliver minor detail refinements on the MCL40's rear corners. In addition, we will test an experimental rear wing throughout Friday's Free Practice sessions." [3] Houldey added that, while the overall package is lighter than some recent updates, "these developments are all part of our season-long development pathway." [1]
:::analysis McLaren arrives at the Red Bull Ring sitting third in the constructors' championship, more than 70 points adrift of Mercedes. Confining the Macarena wing to Norris's car for a single day of data collection is standard practice for a part still in the evaluation phase; it allows a direct back-to-back comparison with the conventional wing without committing both drivers to an unproven design over a qualifying or race stint. Ferrari's willingness to race the concept in Miami, and Red Bull's rapid iteration of their own version at the same event, show how quickly an aerodynamic concept can travel from test item to race-ready component under the active-aero regulations. Whether McLaren's version will follow the same timeline depends entirely on what the Friday data shows. :::
Championship context
McLaren has yet to win a Grand Prix in 2026, with Mercedes having dominated the early rounds before Lewis Hamilton ended the Brackley squad's streak at the Barcelona Grand Prix. Mercedes lead the constructors' championship on 262 points, 72 points ahead of Ferrari, with McLaren a further 49 points off the pace in third place. [4] Piastri acknowledged the competitive picture ahead of Austria: "Ferrari took a good step forward in Barcelona, Mercedes are still the benchmark as well, and I'm hearing along the grapevine Red Bull have got some big things coming as well." [6]
Related reading
[1]: Formula1.com, "Piastri reveals initial plan for McLaren's new 'experimental' rear wing," accessed 2026-06-25. https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/piastri-reveals-initial-plan-for-mclarens-new-experimental-rear-wing.6a74VkHvzrwaby0DFwFjiQ [2]: Motorsport.com, "McLaren to trial upside-down rear wing at F1's Austrian GP," accessed 2026-06-25. https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/mclaren-trial-upside-down-rear-wing-f1-austrian-gp/10832747/ [3]: Sky Sports F1, "McLaren optimistic over Austrian Grand Prix chances amid confirmation of upgraded rear wing," accessed 2026-06-25. https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/13557392/mclaren-optimistic-over-austrian-grand-prix-chances-amid-confirmation-of-upgraded-rear-wing [4]: PlanetF1, "McLaren rear wing: Team debuts 'experimental' concept at Austrian GP," accessed 2026-06-25. https://www.planetf1.com/news/mclaren-rear-wing-upgrade-macarena-concept-austrian-gp [5]: Crash.net, "Explained: What is McLaren's 'experimental' F1 rear wing set for Austrian GP debut?," accessed 2026-06-25. https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1099269/1/explained-what-mclarens-experimental-f1-rear-wing [6]: GrandPrix247, "Oscar Piastri confirms McLaren to test trick rear wing in Austria as Formula 1 tech war intensifies," accessed 2026-06-25. https://www.grandprix247.com/formula-1-news/oscar-piastri-confirms-mclaren-to-test-trick-rear-wing-in-austria-as-formula-1-tech-war-intensifies
- [1]Piastri reveals initial plan for McLaren's new 'experimental' rear wing (formula1). Accessed 2026-06-25.
- [2]McLaren to trial upside-down rear wing at F1's Austrian GP (motorsport). Accessed 2026-06-25.
- [3]McLaren optimistic over Austrian Grand Prix chances amid confirmation of upgraded rear wing (skysports). Accessed 2026-06-25.
- [4]McLaren rear wing: Team debuts 'experimental' concept at Austrian GP (planetf1). Accessed 2026-06-25.
- [5]Explained: What is McLaren's 'experimental' F1 rear wing set for Austrian GP debut? (crash). Accessed 2026-06-25.
- [6]Oscar Piastri confirms McLaren to test trick rear wing in Austria as Formula 1 tech war intensifies (grandprix247). Accessed 2026-06-25.