McLaren unveiled a cutting‑edge pivot‑based rear‑wing prototype designed to gather aerodynamic data for its forthcoming race‑ready version.
A Hybrid Kinematic Design
Unlike Ferrari’s “Macarena” integration and Red Bull’s housing cage, McLaren’s mechanism centres around a single actuator located at the wing’s core. Three interlocking links—pivoted on pins—translate the actuator’s linear motion into a 45‑degree rotation of the first link, an almost horizontal second link, and a final 90‑degree rise of the last link attached to the lower flap. This chain lifts the flaps into a vertical position without mounting the motor to the endplate.
The scheme keeps the outer wing tips snug against the endplates, preventing the turbulence that spikes when the outer sections emerge during deployment. The lateral pivots are unembellished, with free‑moving elements at the upper flap ends that simply follow the actuator‑driven linkage. The links themselves bear the aerodynamic loads, eliminating the need for a rigid external cage and potentially saving weight.
Operational & Aerodynamic Advantages
McLaren’s pivoting wing rotates rearward as it opens, mirroring the RB22’s basic motion but diverging in the way the outer edge remains unlifted. The result is a smoother airflow over the exposed corners, a reduction in wake formation, and a cleaner exit on a straight. The actuation cycle—piston driven, link‑based, and kinematics‑precision—offers predictable response and rapid data acquisition for the team’s wind‑tunnel analyses.
Prototype Roadmap
Assemblied in Austria for refinement, the prototype is now circulating on track to feed the team’s simulation models. The final, regulated version is slated for deployment in the season’s second half. Until then, McLaren will rely on the experimental set‑up to validate the concept’s performance envelope and to refine the control software that orchestrates the triangular linkage.
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