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On Thursday, speculation within the paddock swirled that McLaren had been asked by the FIA to modify its wing for the United States Grand Prix.
That was denied by the team initially, but it has since admitted that indeed there has been further work on its rear wings.
In Azerbaijan, television coverage revealed the top flap of the rear wing opening slightly when the car was at high speed without the use of DRS.
While the wing was deemed legal that weekend, having passed all necessary scrutineering checks, the FIA subsequently asked McLaren to amend the design.
Initially thought to be limited to that specific, low-downforce rear wing, McLaren has, in fact, been asked to change all of its wings.
“As previously mentioned, McLaren proactively offered to make some minor adjustments to our rear wing following the Azerbaijan GP,” the team said in a statement.
“We have made minor adjustments to all our rear wings since Baku to varying extents to ensure no further issues in this area.”
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News of McLaren’s rear wing modifications comes as championship rival Red Bull Racing also faces questions surrounding its car.
It has been revealed the Milton Keynes squad has the ability to adjust the bib height (front ride height) of its car via a mechanism within the pedal area of its car.
Initially flagged as an item that was easy to adjust, Speedcafe yesterday revealed it is located under the heel place in the footwell of the car and requires the removal of the nose cone and a bodywork element to access.
It has been alleged, but not proven, that the device was used to modify the ride height of the Red Bull Racing under parc ferme conditions, which would be a breach of the regulations and lead to the car’s exclusion.
For this weekend’s United States Grand Prix, both Red Bull Racing and McLaren have updates.
Red Bull Racing sports a new floor edge and engine cover, the former designed to ‘increase load’ (downforce) and ‘maintain flow stability’ and the latter a circuit-specific cooling-related solution.
By contrast McLaren has a sizeable update, including a new front wing that Lando Norris will use, along with front suspension, front corner, rear corner, and beam wing (the lower plane of the rear wing).
On the opening day’s track action at the Circuit of The Americas, Max Verstappen secured his first pole since the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in May while Lando Norris will start Saturday’s Sprint from fourth.
Sergio Perez will start 11th and Oscar Piastri 16th in the second Red Bull Racing and McLaren respectively.
