McLaren boss unleashes on F1 rivals as ‘advantage’ uncovered in ‘mini-DRS’ rear wing saga

Brushing off the changes they made to the MCL38’s rear wing to secure pole position in Singapore, Andrea Stella says the whole saga has been great for McLaren as it “distracted” their rivals.

McLaren clinched their fourth win of F1 2024 last time out in Azerbaijan after which social media was awash with videos of what was dubbed the ‘mini DRS’ on Oscar Piastri’s low-downforce rear wing.

Rear wing saga was ‘good news’ for McLaren, says Andrea Stella

Rear-facing camera footage from his MCL38 showed the top element of the wing lifting to open a slot gap on the straights, thus improving the car’s straight-line performance

The wing, though, was legal according to all the FIA’s mandatory deflection tests, prompting McLaren to “proactively” offer to make “minor adjustments”.

And then Lando Norris claimed pole position in Singapore.

The Briton clocked a new lap record of 1:29.525 to beat Max Verstappen to the coveted grid slot by two-tenths of a second with Lewis Hamilton a further tenth off the pace.

Piastri also featured in the top five as McLaren look to extend their points lead in the Constructors’ Championship having edged ahead of Red Bull in Baku.

McLaren’s team principal was all smiles as while the wing apparently didn’t affect them, it did throw their rivals off their stride.

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“Well, the effect is absolutely zero,” he insisted to Sky after qualifying. “I think we saw that today.

“For us, it’s just good news that our competitors get distracted with this kind of things, because it means they don’t focus on themselves. And for us, it’s just an advantage.

“So we are completely comfortable that this is a little bit of a red herring that somebody is picking up.

“The wing is legal. There’s no topic, really. I think it’s just a story, but it looks like everyone looks for some stories.

“That’s good. It’s good for us. We keep focus on ourselves, feet on the ground, keep delivering upgrades, and that’s what we do. And then we talk on the track.”

McLaren will line up for Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix with a 20-point lead over Red Bull with Norris 59 points down on Verstappen in the Drivers’ standings.

Lando Norris praises McLaren for ‘pushing every single area’

Norris weighed in on McLaren’s rear wing earlier in the week and applauded McLaren for pushing the envelope while still staying within in the rules.

“They’re doing a very good job,” he said. “Everything’s been tested, everything’s legal. We’re doing what we can. That’s what Formula 1 is for, exploring everything within the rules.

“We’ve cleared all the tests and everything, and the FIA are happy. I’m proud, I’m happy with what the team are doing. They’re pushing the limits and that’s what you’ve got to do if you want to fight at the top and fight against people who are also known for doing such things and exploring every area possible.

“I’m proud of the team for pushing every single area that we can. We’ve not been in situations where we could do that in the past, but now we’re in that position.

“It’s actually a cool thing to see, in my opinion. There are so many rules, there’s so many things in place but teams, including us, are finding ways to just explore and look at different things that other people have not thought of.

“But as much as you might see us doing, there are still plenty of other teams doing it that you just don’t see on TV, and maybe have not led a race and you don’t see on certain cameras and stuff. It’s not just us. It’s a big game, it’s a big race out there, but from my side I’m very happy with what McLaren are doing.”

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