McLaren to finally debut its newly-named rotating F1 rear wing at Monza

McLaren will finally debut its own rotating rear wing at Monza - but with a new name.

McLaren first trialled the rear wing at the Hungarian Grand Prix
McLaren first trialled the rear wing at the Hungarian Grand Prix

McLaren will finally unleash its own version of the rotating rear wing at this weekend’s Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix. 

The novel innovation was pioneered by Ferrari who initially debuted the so-called ‘Macarena’ wing during pre-season testing in Bahrain. Further tests were conducted in China, before the device made its race debut in Miami, where Red Bull also introduced its own solution. 

Having decided against trialling a prototype of the rear wing in Austria, McLaren evaluated it during practice in Hungary but did not precede to use it in qualifying or the race. 

It is set to finally be used across the entire weekend in Italy, with McLaren hoping the concept will help reduce drag on Monza’s famously long straights. 

McLaren tested the rear wing during practice in Hungary
McLaren tested the rear wing during practice in Hungary

The device will be called the H-Wing. Rather than being a Star Wars reference, the name pays homage to the ‘H’ in the Eithad Airways branding displayed on McLaren’s rear wing. The letter H is in the same position as the H-Wing’s straight mode actuator. 

“The H-Wing’s naming convention pays homage to McLaren’s innovative F-duct, which debuted in 2010 and took its name from the ‘F’ in the branding positioned alongside the system’s inlet on the car,” a McLaren preview read. 

“In the same spirit, the H-Wing is named after the ‘H’ in Etihad Airways branding displayed on the rear wing as part of the team’s partnership with the airline.”

As well as the H-Wing, McLaren is also bringing updated floor furniture in its continued push to add more performance to its MCL40 car that has won the last two races. 

Mercedes has brought no performance-related upgrades to Monza, with its circuit specific updated focused solely on drag reduction. Ferrari has also only brought circuit specific updates. 

Norris has won the last two F1 races
Norris has won the last two F1 races

Red Bull has introduced a couple of reliability improvements as well as a revised bib edge profile on the floor and updated front wing endplate vane. 

In the F1 midfield, Aston Martin has updated its front suspension and floor edge in front of the rear tyres, while Haas is bringing a much-needed upgrade that includes floor, bodywork and rear corner changes. 

Audi is the only team that has not submitted any updates for the Italian Grand Prix.