McLaren learns vital lessons from Red Bull with new H-Wing

McLaren has formally introduced its Macarena rear wing system on the MCL40, dubbed the H-Wing, with the team having granted it full approval for use following an extensive validation programme across the free practice sessions at Monza.

The system is immediately recognisable as sharing its fundamental architecture with the Red Bull solution. Rather than concealing two separate actuators within the endplates of the wing, McLaren has opted for a single central actuator, mirroring the approach taken by Red Bull on the RB22.

The similarities do not end there: the precise manner in which the flap rotates is also closely aligned with the Milton Keynes design.

The flap is driven rearward via a link anchored to its leading edge, causing it to rotate just under 180 degrees. This is the same activation method employed on the RB22's moveable flap.

Having previously analysed the Red Bull system in detail, a close inspection of the MCL40's implementation makes it clear that the choice of a relatively modest rotation angle, and in particular the rearward push of the actuation, delivers its greatest mechanical advantage during the opening phase.

The closing phase, by contrast, demands a considerably greater force from the actuator. As the car accelerates to high speed, the air pressure acting on the flap works against its return to the closed position, requiring the actuator to overcome that aerodynamic resistance.

In practice, no ideal solution exists: every combination of leverage geometry and flap actuation method involves a compromise, concentrated either in the opening phase or the closing phase.

Learning from Red Bull's reliability issues

It is worth recalling that Red Bull suffered at least two notable incidents in which Max Verstappen's RB22 experienced incomplete flap closure, resulting in the car running wide off the circuit.

A slower closing phase, by its very nature, creates a window in which aerodynamic pressure could theoretically generate sufficient resistance to prevent full closure.

While this remains an extreme and unlikely scenario, it is not one that can be dismissed entirely, particularly given that Red Bull has already encountered it.

McLaren has been acutely aware of this risk throughout its development programme. The team subjected the system to rigorous reliability testing specifically to guard against the possibility of malfunction, and has paid particular attention to the angle of attack of the actuating rod, selecting the geometry that best ensures a closing time compatible with that of the front moveable flap.

Having run the system through every free practice session at Monza, the team is satisfied that it is ready for the demands of competitive running.

The confidence placed in the system reflects McLaren's belief that the complete inversion of the flap profile across the circuit's long straights can deliver a meaningful aerodynamic advantage, even if the gains are not dramatically large in absolute terms.