McLaren confirm return of eye-catching F1 upgrade at Italian GP

McLaren has confirmed it will race its rotating 'Macarena' rear wing at the Italian Grand Prix, giving the concept its first competitive outing on the MCL40.

The team calls its version the H-Wing, a nod to the 'H' in Etihad Airways branding on the rear wing. 

The team has detailed it mirrors the logic behind McLaren's 2010 F-duct name, which came from the Vodafone 'F' placed near the MP4-25's air inlet.

The concept first ran in practice at the Hungarian Grand Prix, when reserve driver Leonardo Fornaroli evaluated it on Oscar Piastri's car in FP1. 

That test focused on controlled aero runs and braking checks before the wing was removed ahead of qualifying. Andrea Stella described it as a "positive sign-off" and said McLaren was preparing to introduce it at future events.

It has now been confirmed it will be in use at Monza this weekend as McLaren continues to its momentum, having won two races on the bounce.

The Macarena wing was first spotted at pre-season testing by Ferrari and has since been adopted by Red Bull - albeit the design has been sidelined following a series of high-speed spins for Max Verstappen.

“This weekend, we have brought what we believe is needed to be competitive, including a new low-drag rear wing specification, including the first use of our H-Wing, alongside some small aerodynamic and low-drag options that we will evaluate before deciding the final specification for Qualifying,” technical director Neil Houdley said. 

“Overall, we know there is still more performance to unlock from the MCL40, both through maximising the package we already have and through further upgrades planned for the races ahead.”