McLaren Found Under Spotlight Due to “Mini DRS” Controversies

Does McLaren Think the “Mini DRS” Discussions About Their Car Are “Good News”?

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella believes that rival teams complaining about McLaren’s car is a positive sign, as it indicates they are distracted from their own efforts. The Woking-based team has been in the spotlight since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix due to their system known as “mini DRS.”

The team’s low-drag rear wing was designed to flex backward, helping to open a gap and thereby reduce drag, increasing straight-line speed. While the rear wing complies with the FIA’s static load tests, its behavior has unsettled rivals who believe it pushes the boundaries of the regulations too far.

Following discussions with the FIA, McLaren agreed to make changes to reduce the flexibility observed in their cars during the Belgian, Italian, and Azerbaijan Grands Prix. Although this change means McLaren will lose some of the aerodynamic advantages gained from the design when the low-drag wing returns at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Stella is not disheartened by the developments.

In fact, he says he is encouraged by the attention rivals are paying to what his team is doing. When asked for his thoughts on the matter, Stella stated, “I see the interest in our rear wing as good news because it means the rivals are not focusing on themselves.”

“Formula 1 is a very extreme game. It’s very complex. I keep telling my team: ‘Focus on yourselves.’

So for me, when I see this much interest from other teams, it means they have work to do, analysis to conduct, and discussions with the FIA.

They are using that time and energy to chase something that I think will distract them from the real issues. For McLaren, this is just good news.

We are trying to focus on ourselves. We want to come up with technically sound solutions that might be challenging but are completely legal. If others want to be destructive, they can keep doing that. Because for us, this is just good news.

While McLaren continues to believe that the wing design is entirely legal, the team agreed to make changes with the FIA because they do not want the discussion to escalate further, hoping this will encourage the governing body to look into what other teams are doing.

Stella said, “We can make the changes transparently, and since it won’t have a major impact on performance, we can do this.”

“This also gives us an opportunity to remind the FIA that we’ve made some observations for them to look into others.”

“We don’t want to spend too much energy and time with journalists trying to create big stories. We just told the FIA what we think is happening.”

“We trust that they will talk to other teams and ensure they are addressing their own issues, which definitely exist, even if they are less visible, and we are confident of that.”

Stella suggested that while he didn’t want to delve into what aspects the FIA should examine regarding rival cars, the issue revolves around the manipulation of the rear wing slot gaps.

When asked what he sees in other teams, Stella said: “I won’t speak definitively because I would disclose information that I think falls under confidentiality.”

“For some reason, it seems that this slot gap has become something that dominates F1. There are many ways for other cars to take advantage of aerodynamic pressure on surfaces, and according to our analyses, some of these are much more effective.

“But we trust the FIA. They are technically very capable people.”

“To be honest, when we talk to them, we see that they not only understand the mechanisms but also what’s happening with our competitors.”

“They always seem quite equipped to determine whether some tests are appropriate and to restrict certain mechanisms or aerodynamic pressure pathways.”

“From a political standpoint, I think we are in good hands with the FIA, and I believe all parties—teams, journalists, everyone—need to show a bit more respect to the FIA and their technical departments because they are doing a great job.”

“This isn’t a simple task. Sometimes we need to praise the work they do. And I don’t see that happening enough.”