McLaren place their newest bid to catch up to Red Bull at Las Vegas GP by imitating the RB-19’s rear and beam wings

McLaren are set to take on the dominating Red Bulls as they have revealed their new ‘rear wing’ design ahead of the Las Vegas GP.

McLaren place their newest bid to catch up to Red Bull at Las Vegas GP by imitating the RB-19’s rear and beam wings

McLaren at Las Vegas GP (via imago)

McLaren are currently experiencing one of the most rewarding jumps, over the course of a single season as the team has miraculously managed to upgrade their car throughout the season. These upgrades have proven to be a boon as the team has skyrocketed to being Red Bull’s primary challenger in recent races. The team’s newest upgrade to the MCL60 was revealed ahead of the highly-awaited Las Vegas Grand Prix. Firstly, the Woking-based team acknowledged the primary areas where the Red Bull continues to triumph their car.

The team revealed that the MCL60 falls short of Red Bull’s top speed, specifically while employing DRS, as its overall aero package pales in comparison to the RB19. The British team has introduced their new ‘rear wing and beam wing’ update in hopes of closing down on Red Bull’s top speed advantage under DRS. Red Bull’s unique single-beam wing provides substantial DRS advantages over teams using double-beam wings. However, many teams hesitate to adjust their beam wing setups, fearing a trade-off between reduced drag and the crucial downforce necessary for rear stability.

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However, in a bold move, McLaren has eliminated its secondary beam wing, signaling their belief that this adjustment won’t compromise car performance or driver confidence. Andrea Stella, McLaren’s Boss had previously addressed Red Bull’s superior use of the single beam wing, as reported by Motorsport.

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They seem to have pursued this concept for some time.

It will be interesting to see whether the McLarens are able to compete against the dominating Red Bulls as the lights go out on the Sin City streets.

McLaren’s dismal qualifying at the Las Vegas GP

Both McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri failed to qualify for Q2 at the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend. Norris and Piastri exited the Q1 session early as the McLaren men only managed to claim P16 and P19, respectively. McLaren are currently experiencing one of the most rewarding jumps, over the course of a single season, in performance in their Formula 1 history.

Las Vegas GP (via Twitter)

McLaren’s 2023 season appeared to be a torrid one after the first few opening rounds, gaining only 17 points after the first 6 Grand Prix weekends. Following the Canadian Grand Prix, McLaren were only P6 in the constructor’s championship. The papaya army, however, had managed to stunningly overturn their fortunes following the mid-summer break, claiming 8 podiums since the aforementioned Canadian Grand Prix.

Norris and Piastri’s early exit from Q1 means that the pair will be starting the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix outside of the top 15 spots. Zak Brown, the Boss at McLaren commented that the MCL60 lacked pace on tight corners and was significantly trailing the competition in ‘straight-line-speed’. This implies that the newest upgrade might have worked against the team.