McLaren confirms H-wing upgrade race debut at Italian Grand Prix

McLaren will debut its own version of the ‘Macarena’ rear wing at this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, with the Woking team calling its rotating concept the ‘H-wing.’

The so-called ‘Macarena’ rear wing has proven to be one of the most popular technical innovations under the F1 2026 rules.

McLaren H-wing set for Italian Grand Prix debut

Ferrari was the first to experiment with a rotating rear wing, bringing the ‘Macarena’ wing to the track during pre-season testing in Bahrain.

Instead of just opening and closing, the entire top flap of the wing rotates 180 degrees between cornering mode and straight-line mode.

Ferrari raced its ‘Macarena’ wing for the first time in Miami, where Red Bull also unveiled its version.

McLaren was set to join the dance party at the Austrian Grand Prix, but opted against running its prototype due to technical issues with the wing’s performance.

McLaren technical director for engineering Neil Houldey explained: “When we fitted it up and did that final sign-off, we weren’t comfortable enough to take it into the first session, so we’re sending it back.

“We’ve got a little bit more work to do before we’ll take it back out to the track again.”

The team trailled an updated version in Hungary, where team principal Andrea Stella was pleased with the results.

“It’s been a positive sign-off of this concept, and we look forward now to introducing this concept at some future events,” he told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets in Budapest.

That future event, it has been revealed, is Monza.

McLaren will run its rotating rear wing concept at this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.

“This weekend, we have brought what we believe is needed to be competitive, including a new low-drag rear wing specification, including the first use of our H-wing, alongside some small aerodynamic and low-drag options that we will evaluate before deciding the final specification for qualifying,” revealed Houldey.

“Overall, we know there is still more performance to unlock from the MCL40, both through maximising the package we already have and through further upgrades planned for the races ahead.”

McLaren has opted to call its rotating rear wing the ‘H-wing’, paying homage to the Woking team’s innovative F-duct, which debuted in 2010 and took its name from the ‘F’ on the inlet of the car as a branding value.

In line with that, the H-wing is named after the ‘H’ in Etihad Airways branding displayed on the rear wing of the MCL40.

McLaren heads to Monza in race-winning form after Lando Norris clinched back-to-back wins at the Hungaroring and Zandvoort.

That boosted the reigning world champion to fourth in the drivers’ standings, where he is 83 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli.

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“We arrive at Monza following back-to-back victories, and it has been great for everyone in the team to see the progress we have made this season rewarded on track,” said Houldey.

“Winning again was a fantastic feeling and has reinforced the motivation across the team to keep pushing. We know we have had a quick car at the last few races, but we are not taking anything for granted.

“This is a very different track from the most recent ones, and we can expect a pecking order that not necessarily reflects what has been seen in Hungary and in the Netherlands.

“Our rivals will continue to bring aerodynamic and power unit developments, so we will need to execute every detail well – from set-up and energy management to ensuring the drivers can perform at their absolute best – if we aspire to fight at the front again.

“Monza presents a unique challenge, with its long straights placing a premium on drag reduction, while the heavy braking zones demand stability and the chicanes require good ride performance.

“Energy will also be limited around the lap, so understanding the best way to recharge and deploy it will be an important focus during practice.

“Managing overtakes will therefore be particularly important, as different approaches to harvesting and deploying energy could create a yo-yo effect, with cars trading an advantage at different points around the lap.

“That said, the margins at the front remain extremely tight, so the accuracy of our pre-event simulation and simulator work will be critical in giving us a strong baseline.

“From there, we need clean practice sessions to refine the car and maximise the car-and-driver combination.”

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