NO LET UP IN DEVELOPMENT AT McLAREN
Despite being hamstrung by its troublesome Honda power unit, McLaren continues to add developments to the MCL32. After introducing a ‘T’ wing and revised floor in Shanghai, the British team tested in Bahrain a new rear wing, which featured a very original design.
The endplate is indeed divided into a series of vanes that do not bend but remain vertical, though they tilt inward. The new version seen in Sakhir had more vanes (including one slit on the leading edge of the endplate), with the last two being also longer. As a reminder, these slits are here to curb the impact of the turbulent tyre wake.
The radical concept echoes the design briefly sampled at last year’s Austrian Grand Prix, though how it exactly functions remains shrouded in mystery.
