McLaren has marked this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix in red on the calendar. The Woking team will disembark on the scorching asphalt of the Hungaroring with an ambitious package of evolutions for the MCL40, designed to recover lost ground after admitting a delay of up to three months in its aerodynamic development compared to its rivals. The update, which includes a completely remodeled flat bottom and various aerodynamic partsseeks to boost the team before the summer break. “In such a competitive season, every evolution is crucial. We want to maximize what we have and put ourselves in the best position for the second half of the championship,” said Randy Singh, senior competition director for the ‘papaya’ team.
Hunting Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull
The step forward is vitally necessary for the British squad in its attempt to not fall off the lead. While the pace of the Mercedes continues to be the great reference of the course, Ferrari’s effective improvements They have fully involved Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in the fight for victories, while Red Bull continues to take firm steps with the RB22. McLaren team boss Andrea Stella, trusts that Budapest will mark a before and after: “It is difficult to compete right now with the level of Ferrari and Mercedes, but we hope that starting in Hungary we will see an acceleration in our competitiveness. Already we have a very clear direction and now we should begin to see the first fruits, he confesses.
The ‘Macarena experiment’ comes on stage in Free Practice 1
The great technical attraction of the weekend will be the long-awaited premiere of the version McLaren’s inverted rear wing known as ‘Macarena’. After seeing this revolutionary concept at Ferrari during the preseason, whose main plane rotates 180 degrees when activating Straight Mode, and after having to postpone his debut in Austria due to mechanical problems in the garage, The piece will only take to the track during Free Practice 1 in Hungary to collect data. The wing will be removed for the remainder of the Grand Prix and will not be raced at the Hungaroring or the Netherlands; However, if the tests are satisfactory, it could debut on high-speed tracks such as Monza or Baku.
McLaren’s caution with this element also responds to the scares experienced by Red Bull, whose failures with this same technology caused two spins for Max Verstappen in Spielberg and Silverstoneforcing those from Milton Keynes to redo their design for this same weekend.