Why McLaren's latest upgrade is small but highly effective

From the data that emerged after FP1 and sprint qualifying at the Red Bull Ring, it is clear that McLaren that continues to induce performance on its MCL38.

In fact, it became even clearer that the introduction of the new front-wing at the Austrian Grand Prix and run on Oscar Piastri's car in the sole practice session to start with has highlighted how even seemingly small upgrades are capable of improving the performance.

With the new front wing, the update revolves around new endplates equipped with an internal winglet that is serving two functions. 

Firstly, it allows an increase in downforce, but above all, it increases the out-wash effect and also partly generates up-wash, which allows the height of the front wheels to be exceeded from the front-wing airflow.

It would be excessive to consider this upgrade particularly significant, but from sources, it will help with precision in terms of cornering and handling in medium-to-fast corners.

 Furthermore, it is interesting to note how the team carried out an analysis in FP1 by applying flow viz paint on the front suspension upper wishbone front leg, in order to verify that the up lift of the flow generated by the winglet on the endplates was working as intended.