McLaren brings new H-wing as 2026 development continues

McLaren will bring a new version of its Macarena-style H-wing to Baku this weekend as Formula 1’s leading teams take different approaches to the remaining development of their 2026 cars.

Auto Motor und Sport reports that McLaren removed the rotating rear-wing concept, widely nicknamed the ’Macarena’, in Madrid simply because that specification did not suit the required downforce level.

For Baku, McLaren has developed a new version for a slightly higher-downforce range, although the very long straight means the team could still revert to the flatter Monza specification for the race.

A new floor is also coming, aimed particularly at improving efficiency and addressing the car’s weakness in slower corners.

Ferrari, meanwhile, is continuing development because Fred Vasseur says much of the work can now carry directly into 2027.

"We are not in the same situation as 12 months ago," said the team boss.

"Because what we develop today, we can transfer to next year’s project. This means that we will continue working, perhaps on other things, other aspects, somewhat less in the area of aerodynamics, somewhat more on other topics."

"But 80 percent of the developments we are undertaking now will be implemented next year."

Mercedes has already shifted more fundamentally towards 2027.

"The year 2027 began some time ago, long before the summer," Toto Wolff said.

"During the summer, we reallocated resources to the next year, which is proceeding as planned, regardless of where we stand in the championship."

Williams will introduce a substantial Baku package, but Alex Albon freely admits the team’s development rate has not matched its midfield rivals.

"If you think about us in a normal year, Baku would have put us back in contention, but we have to be honest with ourselves," he said.

"The pace of development this year is tremendous, and we’ve fallen behind."

Red Bull’s priority is more fundamental, as engineers continue trying to understand the mysterious loss of performance Max Verstappen has described as "car degradation".

Laurent Mekies says progress was made in Madrid but warned the problem will not disappear quickly.

"We haven’t implemented all the solutions in the car yet, but I am confident that we are on the right track," said the French engineer.

"It won’t be a quick process, so it’s something that will probably keep us busy for the entire next year."