Zak Brown insists illegal McLaren ‘flexi-wing’ was no secret sauce for F1 performance
Zak Brown stated that McLaren's 'flexi' rear wing is not the reason behind the team's strong performances this season.
Follow Us
Zak Brown (via IMAGO)
At the beginning of 2023, McLaren struggled significantly, finishing in the lower-middle positions and facing reliability issues. However, by mid-2024, the team made a remarkable turnaround, becoming Red Bull’s closest challenger.
This is highlighted by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri winning their first Grands Prix in Miami and Hungary, respectively. However, there has been some controversy around McLaren’s rear wing, featuring a “mini-DRS,” which faced scrutiny for potentially giving them an unfair aerodynamic advantage.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown agreed to modify the rear wing as directed by the FIA, ensuring compliance before the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix. Despite these adjustments, Lando Norris clinched victory with a 20-second gap over Max Verstappen.
After the race, rival engineers continued to scrutinize McLaren’s car, which is par for the course in F1. However, Brown has emphasized that the team’s performance relied on more than just the rear wing design.
It’s totally natural that people are staring at our car at the moment and then coming to conclusions, a lot of them incorrectly. We offered to make a small modification, just because we don’t think it will make much of a difference and there’s a lot of noise around it — so to demonstrate that there’s no secret sauce, we were like, ‘Well, we’ll modify it slightly.
Zak Brown told The Times
By making the modifications, McLaren aimed to show transparency and assure fans and rivals that there was no “secret sauce” behind their success. Brown asserted that all achievements have come from the team’s overall performance and not just the rear wing design.
Zak Brown claims it’s a ‘compliment’ over recent ‘illegal’ allegations of their MCL38’s rear wing
While the FIA confirmed that McLaren’s rear wing was not technically illegal, some teams argued that the aerodynamic benefits from its flexing were against the spirit of the regulations. Zak Brown expressed pride in the innovation and development behind their technology.
Brown viewed the complaints from rival teams as a compliment. He said he cherished the scrutiny and saw it as a recognition of McLaren’s competitive advancements in F1.
It’s a compliment that people are looking at our car and challenging. We’ve got good innovation on our car.
Zak Brown expresse
McLaren’s remarkable turnaround from their struggles in 2023 has caught the attention of rival teams. Lando Norris is in outstanding form and Oscar Piastri has also shown impressive skills in recent races. With six races remaining this season, Norris aims to narrow the 52-point gap to Max Verstappen, the current leader in the Drivers’ Championship.
Stay Updated!
Gaurang Kadam
(535 Articles Published)