by McLaren has clarified that it has made modifications to its entire range of rear wings in the run-up to the United States Grand Prix following the recent ‘Mini-DRS’ controversy.
The Woking-based team was the center of attention following the Azerbaijan GP after video footage of its rear wing bending was broadcast.
The way the upper element of the rear wing rotated rearward to open the slot gap led to the concept quickly being dubbed the “Mini-DRS”.
While the rear wing passed all of the FIA’s static load tests, its behavior at high speed sparked discussions between the governing body and McLaren over the situation.
And as part of that dialogue, McLaren said it subsequently agreed to rework the low-drag wing used in Baku to ensure it doesn’t bend like that in the future. However, this wing would likely only ever return to Las Vegas.
However, ahead of this weekend’s race in Austin, the topic became a topic of conversation again when rumors emerged that the team had been asked by the FIA to make further changes.
The squad has denied this but admitted that as part of ongoing dialogue it has agreed to make changes to its entire range of wings, including the wing that will be used in Austin.
It is understood that this requires modifications to the upper member to prevent deflection as well as narrowing the slot gap.
A McLaren spokesman said: “As previously mentioned, following the Azerbaijan GP, McLaren proactively offered to make some minor adjustments to our rear wing.”
“We have made varying degrees of minor adjustments to all of our rear wings since Baku to ensure there are no further issues in this area.”
Ferrari SF-24 rear wing, US GP
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
The tweaks McLaren has made to its rear wings come on a weekend where the FIA continues to take a strict approach to monitoring rear wing flexure.
As seen in the pitlane, teams now appear to be equipped with a greater number of reference points placed on different sections of the rear wing, used by the FIA to assess how much bending is taking place.
These points serve as a reference, making it easier to detect any bend in the footage captured by the rear camera.
It is also expected that higher resolution cameras will be used in the rear-facing camera position to increase fidelity and provide the necessary detail.
This is an advance on the approach taken at the Belgian Grand Prix, when the governing body first increased its control over the curvature of the rear wing. Teams were asked to mount a high-resolution camera in a custom-made camera housing looking at the front fender end panel and outer flap section.
However, it should be noted that the recorded video footage cannot be used as a means of punishing a team.
Instead, it is a way for the FIA to better understand how the wings move so that in the future it can either make changes to clean up the current regulations or use them as a way to better formulate future rules.
Autosport understands McLaren is not the only one making changes to its wings for this weekend’s race in Austin, as the FIA has also called for changes to other designs it had concerns about.
Additional reporting by Matt Somerfield
