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McLaren will introduce a new rear wing assembly at this weekendâs Belgian Grand Prix after abandoning its planned evaluation of a different design in Austria.
The earlier experimental wing, understood to be similar to the Red Bull and Ferrari approaches to Straight Mode, was scheduled to run on Lando Norrisâ car at the Red Bull Ring. However, a suspected hydraulic issue kept Norris in the garage for a significant part of first practice, prompting McLaren to withdraw the update.
The team instead relied on known components during the Sprint weekend at Silverstone. With Spa-Francorchamps presenting a very different challenge, McLaren now plans to bring an alternative rear-wing package. The decision adds a clear development point to a weekend already expected to place heavy demands on the carâs energy systems.
The update also follows McLarenâs difficult British Grand Prix, where the team struggled for outright performance. Its wider development programme was already under scrutiny, as outlined in McLarenâs plans to match Ferrariâs upgrade push.
McLaren Applied Engineering technical director Neil Houldey said the team had prepared extensively through simulation work, particularly for Spaâs energy-management requirements.
âWe're arriving at Spa with a new rear wing assembly, an upgrade we've had in the pipeline as part of the carâs development pathway,â Houldey said.
He added that McLaren was confident the change would provide âa bit of performanceâ, but rejected the idea that it would transform the teamâs competitive position after Silverstone.
âWe are fully aware that after a difficult British Grand Prix, mainly in terms of pure performance, even this round wonât be that easy, so we wonât be expecting any big change in terms of competitiveness,â he said.
Houldey expects Spa to be particularly demanding, with McLaren anticipating a significant amount of super-clipping despite Formula One Managementâs belief that reduced recharge limits will restrict it to one or two seconds per lap.
The weather could add another variable. Showers were forecast to potentially affect Friday afternoon practice, while storms remained a possibility around Saturday qualifying. Houldey said wet running would offer McLaren an opportunity to understand the carâs behaviour in low-grip conditions and gather useful data for the remainder of the season.
Heâs a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.