McLaren was among the few teams to introduce aerodynamic updates in Las Vegas, experimenting with lower-downforce wings aimed at reducing drag. However, after experiencing graining in FP1, the Woking-based team opted for higher-downforce solutions to improve overall grip and balance, while also seeking greater precision from the front of the car.
It is no secret that the Las Vegas circuit ranks among the fastest on the calendar, with long straights that highlight aerodynamic efficiency. Consequently, teams largely arrived with the same wings used in Monza to maximize top speed. For now, though, no extreme low-drag solutions were visible, except for McLaren.
The Woking team was one of the few to bring wing updates to the United States, aiming to address a recurring efficiency deficit that had often appeared during the season, especially with low-downforce setups. While the base concept remained similar to previous rounds, McLaren focused on fine details, making precise cuts in certain areas of the wings to reduce drag.
Initially, both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri ran the lower-downforce front wing featuring cuts designed to reduce drag. At the rear, the approach was different: Norris continued with the Monza setup, while Oscar Piastri used the more extreme low-drag option to provide a direct comparison. However, the differences were not particularly significant.
Both drivers, however, experienced slight graining on the medium tires over long runs. Based on the FP1 data, the team decided to completely change approach for the second session. The low-downforce configurations, front and rear, were abandoned for both drivers in favor of higher-downforce setups that offered increased grip and a more stable balance.
Although track temperatures were milder than expected—with asphalt consistently above 15°C and air temperatures never dropping below 10°C—many drivers still reported low grip levels. Last year, McLaren had struggled with low-downforce wings and ultimately abandoned them, compromising to reduce understeer and control graining.
This year, thanks to improved tire mechanical resistance and interventions by the Woking team, graining does not appear to be as significant a limitation as it was twelve months ago. Las Vegas proved to be the ideal test, yet the MCL39 still retains certain inherent traits: bringing the front tires up to temperature remains a challenge, as observed previously in Canada and Baku.
This limitation is even more evident in slower corners, where rivals’ difficulties are less visible and McLaren’s strengths are not fully showcased. Notably, the section where the team made the difference today was the 6-7-8 sequence: a set of longer corners requiring intense braking combined with turning the car simultaneously, demanding high precision from the front.
Conversely, in tighter corners where the car can be braked in a straight line, the MCL39’s qualities are less apparent. In these conditions, competitors who can quickly bring tires up to temperature and find grip gain an advantage, exposing the Woking car’s limitations.
It is therefore unsurprising that McLaren chose to step back from the FP1 approach, opting for a setup that would not exacerbate tire-temperature-related understeer. The goal was to improve balance and overall grip, keeping in mind the expected rain later in the day, which could refresh the track ahead of FP3.
The Las Vegas asphalt is smooth and has low roughness, making it harder to bring tires up to optimal temperature. Achieving the right balance on the out-lap is crucial to put the tires into their ideal performance window.
After FP2, Lando Norris highlighted that the mechanical and aerodynamic adjustments for the second session had been beneficial, making the car more effective than last year: “It’s always tricky here. The feeling is that we have a better car compared to last year, which is positive: you could feel it today, so good sensations. Obviously, we haven’t run a lot of laps, but the pace is clearly there. Besides that, I think we made progress from FP1 to FP2 and, hopefully, we can take further steps from FP2 to FP3.”
It will be interesting to see McLaren’s direction tomorrow, but it seems the team has sacrificed some top speed, as observed in the comparison with Mercedes, which is not running the lowest-drag wing, to prioritize a better overall balance that can make a difference across the rest of the lap.
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