– Formula 1 team McLaren used its own version of the “Macarena” rear wing in practice for the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix, but did not use the design in the race at the Hungaroring. Now team principal Andrea Stella explains what the further plans for the innovative rear wing are.
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Because in principle McLaren is convinced by this concept and gained positive impressions in Hungary: “The wing works mechanically cleanly, both in terms of the actuation itself and its timing. Also from an aerodynamic point of view, the behavior met our expectations,” said Stella.
From McLaren’s perspective, the crucial point is especially how the airflow stabilizes again after adjusting the wing. Stella: “Only when this happens does the car build up full downforce again – and not only on the rear wing itself, but on the entire vehicle.”
So it is about two questions: How quickly does the air return to its desired flow state and how quickly is the full aerodynamic performance available again as a result? Here too, the McLaren wing convinced: “Everything corresponded quite exactly to our expectations,” said Stella.
When the McLaren wing will debut in a race
The “Macarena” concept is therefore considered “successfully confirmed” and McLaren plans to use the new rear wing “at one of the upcoming races” in competition. Whether this will already be the case at the first Grand Prix after the Formula 1 summer break in Zandvoort, Stella left open.
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On the other hand, the McLaren team principal has no doubt about the importance of track testing in modern Formula 1: “For such a sensitive project, one would never rely solely on wind tunnel data. Because the wind tunnel is not the decisive factor in this case. The most important tool remains the insights gained on site at the track.”
Ferrari was the first team with the “Macarena” rear wing
And not only for themselves, but also for other teams: Ferrari was the first team in the 2026 Formula 1 season with a functioning “Macarena” rear wing – and initially struggled with it similarly to later Red Bull and McLaren, who in turn developed their own “Macarena” wings.
“That this project is quite complex did not come as a surprise to us,” said Stella. “When Ferrari introduced the wing during testing in Bahrain and then tested it in the first stint in China, Lewis Hamilton spun. After that, it took several more races before Ferrari was actually able to use the system in a race.”
“So we knew from the start that it would be a demanding project. That is why I am very satisfied with how our engineers implemented it.”
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