- McLaren introduced a major aerodynamic package at the Brazilian Grand Prix featuring a revised front wing concept, a rear wing, a beam wing, and updated floor furniture.
- Team principal Andrea Stella confirmed the new front wing directly improved the MCL40’s driveability and predictability rather than merely chasing aerodynamic load.
- Additional aerodynamic upgrades designed to complement the new front wing are scheduled to arrive at the upcoming Las Vegas Grand Prix.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has confirmed that the new front wing concept debuted on the MCL40 during the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend has successfully enhanced the car’s predictability and driveability. The Woking-based squad arrived at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace with a comprehensive development package that went beyond the front wing, integrating an updated rear wing, a beam wing, and revised floor furniture. The changes were introduced after McLaren observed their rivals—Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull—closing in and taking away their edge over the last couple of months.
Addressing Driveability Over Pure Downforce at Interlagos
While McLaren’s Lando Norris captured pole position at Interlagos and his teammate Oscar Piastri settled for 12th on the grid, severe rain during the competitive sessions partially masked the full real-world impact of the aerodynamic components. However, earlier running under dry conditions provided the squad with vital baseline measurements and clear comparative feedback between the track data and wind-tunnel projections.
Andrea Stella noted that the engineering philosophy behind this specific upgrade differed notably from their previous 2024 developments. Normally, the upgrades that we have taken trackside did not affect the driveability of the car, they were just aimed at increasing the load,
Stella said. But in this case, let me say that especially for the front wing, we were also aiming to start addressing the fact that the car needs to be just more drivable, not only more loaded.
The early assessment from both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris has reinforced the engineering team’s target direction. We are relatively happy that the wing behaves as expected. Based on the comments of the drivers and the data that we measure, we see that this seems to have made the driveability a little bit easier,
Stella explained. Between the driveability of the car being a bit easier and having an easy car to drive, there’s still quite a lot to bridge; we are looking at that for next year’s car. And it’s encouraging that the upgrades that we are bringing – they are precursor to what will be next year’s car – have worked as expected.
Upcoming Vegas Package and Sunday Race Pace Reality
McLaren does not intend to pause development, with Andrea Stella confirming that further components tailored to optimize this aerodynamic structure will debut in two weeks’ time. There will be some new parts in Vegas,
Stella announced. All the components kind of want to talk to each other, and these additional components that we have in Vegas will obviously be adapted to the flow generated by the front wing. But the front wing, in terms of improving the driveability, the predictability of the car, was the major component. So we are going to add some more aerodynamic efficiency, but I don’t expect a significant change in the behaviour of the car; to have that, we need to look more into next year.
Despite Lando Norris locking in pole position after a wet qualifying outing that earned him praise from Stella as a “rainmaster,” the McLaren boss maintained realistic expectations for race pace under dry circumstances. Stella admitted that George Russell looked intrinsically faster during Q3 and warned that Mercedes showed formidable speed during dry practice. If it was in dry conditions, based on practice, Mercedes seemed to be a step ahead,
he said. [Kimi] Antonelli was very quick in practice. Difficult to say for Russell because he started his run very fast and then he degraded. But despite the improvements we have made to the car, at the moment we are not yet in condition to say that we entered the race with the best race pace.
Why This Matters
Throughout the season, Formula 1 teams have frequently suffered from correlation discrepancies, finding that adding simulated downforce often introduces balance quirks, snap oversteer, or high-speed instability. By explicitly shifting focus to pilot confidence and car predictability, McLaren is seeking to establish a forgiving aerodynamic platform. Because these components serve as an operational testbed for the upcoming season’s car, proving that new airflow concepts yield predictable results is critical for McLaren to contend consistently across varied track layouts and temperatures.
Frequently Asked Questions
What specific components were included in McLaren’s Brazilian GP upgrade?
The package introduced at Interlagos featured an updated front wing concept, a reprofiled rear wing, a new beam wing, and revisions to the floor furniture to stabilize aerodynamic behavior.
When will McLaren introduce their next aerodynamic updates?
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella confirmed that new parts will arrive at the Las Vegas Grand Prix to better harmonize airflow with the newly introduced front wing.
Why is McLaren cautious about their race pace despite taking pole position?
Although Lando Norris mastered the rain to secure pole position, dry practice sessions indicated strong competition from Mercedes, leading Andrea Stella to note that McLaren does not yet clearly hold the best dry race pace.
