McLaren Tests Upside‑Down Rear Wing in Austrian Grand Prix Practice
Friday’s free‑practice sessions at the Red Bull Ring saw McLaren roll out an experimental upside‑down rear wing on the MCL40, a design first pioneered by Ferrari and later tried by Red Bull.
The wing flips 180° when “straight mode’’ activates, mirroring Ferrari’s winter‑testing concept that sent rivals scrambling for its aerodynamic secrets. Red Bull’s version appeared at Miami, though its operation differs slightly after the revised rear‑wing geometry.
Team chief Neil Houldey said the update focuses on minor corner aerodynamics and will stay in Austria only for Friday’s sessions; the car will return light as a season‑long development for a potential later upgrade. McLaren’s push follows similar “larger packages’’ in Miami and Canada, tightening the first‑place gap toward Mercedes while Ferrari’s SF‑26 and drivers Norris and Stella praise its chassis performance.
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