McLaren and Racing Bulls are putting their rotating rear-wing concepts aside for the Madrid Grand Prix, returning instead to higher-downforce configurations better suited to the demands of the new Madring circuit. The decision reflects the need for braking stability, precision over the kerbs and stronger performance through medium- and low-speed corners, while Madrid also offers far fewer opportunities to exploit Formula 1’s Straight Mode than Monza.
The contrast between the Italian and Spanish rounds could hardly be greater. Monza and Madrid form consecutive race weekends, yet the Temple of Speed and Formula 1’s new circuit in the Spanish capital demand almost opposite technical approaches. Teams stripped down their aerodynamic packages for Monza, whereas Madring pushes them back towards considerably higher levels of downforce.
McLaren drops rotating H-Wing for Madrid Grand Prix
While Ferrari has returned to the three-element bargeboard configuration already seen at other races, McLaren and Racing Bulls have both taken a step back with their rear-wing specifications, bringing back the high-downforce versions used at Zandvoort.
The choice reflects how much more closely Madring’s requirements resemble those encountered in the Netherlands than the extreme low-drag demands of Monza.
McLaren first experimented with its rotating rear-wing mechanism during FP1 at the Hungarian Grand Prix before giving the system its race debut in Italy. The device worked as the engineers intended, using a sophisticated three-lever mechanism designed to reduce aerodynamic drag and improve top speed on long straights.
The results at Monza were encouraging, but the concept is not intended to become McLaren’s default rear wing at every circuit.
McLaren H-Wing reserved for low-downforce circuits
For now, McLaren plans to use the H-Wing – the name given to the system in reference to the ‘H’ in Etihad branding on the rear wing – only with its lower-downforce configurations, where the aerodynamic efficiency gains are greater.
It would therefore be no surprise to see the concept return at Baku in a few weeks. Aerodynamic efficiency and straight-line performance will once again play a major role there, fitting with McLaren’s wider development programme as the team prepares further upgrades for the Baku weekend.
At higher-downforce venues, however, McLaren intends to retain the conventional rear-wing arrangement, with the flap opening in the more traditional manner when the car enters Straight Mode.
The Madrid specification will also feature the three lateral ribs on the rear-wing endplates introduced at Zandvoort. Those elements are intended to generate additional load and provide greater rear-end stability through medium- and low-speed sections, as well as under braking.
Racing Bulls is following a similar direction, restoring additional profiles on the final flap, including the element connected to the mechanism responsible for moving the rear wing.
Mark Temple explains why Madring demands a different setup
McLaren Technical Director – Performance Mark Temple has already highlighted why Madring requires a very different approach from Monza.
“It is tight and demands exceptional braking stability, especially on corner entry, as well as precise driving over the kerbs through the low-speed sections, with several high-speed points that are equally crucial,” Mark Temple explained.
Those characteristics place a greater premium on confidence and downforce than on achieving the absolute minimum possible drag. McLaren must therefore balance performance gains against the resources required to design and manufacture different versions of its innovative rear-wing concept.
Because Formula 1 teams have to allocate their production resources carefully, McLaren chose to spend part of its development budget adapting the low-downforce rear wing to work with the H-Wing, where the system delivers its largest benefits.
By contrast, the team decided not to make the same changes to its high-downforce specification for more conventional and twisty circuits, where the potential advantage would be smaller. That allows resources to be saved for developments with a greater performance return.
Madrid’s two Straight Mode zones reduce H-Wing advantage
The number and length of the active-aero zones are another important part of the decision. Monza featured four long Straight Mode sections, creating repeated opportunities around each lap to reduce drag and exploit the rotating wing.
Madrid will feature only two Straight Mode zones, and both are relatively short. Because the rotating design takes longer to complete its movement than a conventional rear-wing mechanism, its benefits at Madring may not be significant enough to justify choosing it over the standard solution.
The decision illustrates how teams are having to tailor their 2026 active-aero concepts to each circuit rather than simply pursuing one rear-wing philosophy for the whole season. It also fits with McLaren’s acknowledgement that different circuit characteristics continue to expose specific strengths and weaknesses in its package.
Ferrari and Red Bull keep rotating rear wings in Madrid
McLaren and Racing Bulls are not the only teams to have developed this type of rotating rear wing. Ferrari and Red Bull introduced their own solutions earlier in the season and, unlike McLaren and Racing Bulls, have chosen to retain the rotating concept on their respective cars for Madrid.
The differing approaches highlight how teams can arrive at contrasting conclusions even under the same set of regulations. Ferrari and Red Bull believe their solutions remain worthwhile at Madring, while McLaren has decided that a conventional high-downforce rear wing offers the better compromise for the MCL40.
For McLaren, the H-Wing has therefore not been abandoned. Its successful Monza debut demonstrated the potential of the concept where reducing drag is particularly valuable, and Baku could provide the next opportunity to use it. Madrid simply demands something different: more downforce, stronger braking stability and a rear end capable of giving Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri confidence through a circuit packed with varied corners.
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