Racing
© Rob O'Connor
McLaren will use the Hungarian Grand Prix as a key test weekend, bringing a substantial upgrade package built around a redesigned underfloor while finally running its delayed rotating "Macarena" rear wing on track, but only in practice and not for race use in Hungary or Zandvoort.
The rear wing had originally been due to appear at Spielberg, only for McLaren to halt the plan after problems in the garage. In Budapest, the team intends to run the upside-down wing during free practice, gather data, and then remove it again rather than keep it on the car for the rest of the weekend.
McLaren has made clear the device is still experimental. The team confirmed the wing is "not scheduled to be introduced fully at this or the following race in the Netherlands," leaving any competitive debut for a later stage if the Hungary test delivers the answers it wants. Tracks such as Monza or Baku, where straight-line efficiency matters more, are the more likely targets.
That makes the bigger story in Hungary the permanent package underneath the car. McLaren’s latest development step follows its first major overhauls introduced across Miami and Montreal, plus smaller updates since then, and comes as the team tries to recover ground after admitting it had been "two to three months behind" rivals in aero development.
Randy Singh, McLaren’s Senior Director of Racing, said: "We have an upgrade package arriving this weekend, and in such a competitive season every development is important so it will be great to gather further understanding on how those parts perform throughout free practice." He added that the aim is to "maximise everything we have available, carry positive momentum into the shutdown and put ourselves in the strongest possible position for the second half of the championship."
Team principal Andrea Stella said the stronger factory work of recent months had fed into the earlier Miami package and now into another round of upgrades for Hungary. He said it remained "difficult to lean on the range of performance that Ferrari and Mercedes are operating in at the moment," but added: "Hopefully as of Hungary we will start to see a bit of an acceleration in our competitiveness."
Stella said McLaren now has "a clear direction in terms of development," even if some areas of the car took "a couple of months" to be realized. Hungary, he said, should show "the first results of this approach" before more upgrades arrive later in the season.
The pressure on this weekend is obvious. Mercedes has set the pace this season, Ferrari has gained through its own update push to put Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in position to win grands prix, and Red Bull has also added significant performance. McLaren’s Hungary package is its chance to show that its development line is finally starting to close that gap before the second half of the championship.