McLaren hid innovative ’mini wing’ at 2024 car launch

An eye-catching technical innovation was missing or hidden from the earliest images of the newly-launched 2024 McLaren.

The Woking based team is tipped to perhaps beat Mercedes and Ferrari to the chase as Red Bull’s closest pursuer this year, with CEO Zak Brown not ruling out wins.

It’s probably no surprise that McLaren therefore kept one key technical innovation close to its chest on launch day.

When asked why the team had hidden details from the public, Lando Norris smiled cheekily: "Because we can."

Tobias Gruner, a correspondent for Auto Motor und Sport said the innovative mini-wing at the front end of the sidepod could only be seen once Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri actually debuted the car at Silverstone.

He added that other key areas of the 2024 car were also obscured in the launch photos, with the "photoshop brush" also used for the floor and suspension.

CEO Brown said: "As long as the development data is accurate I think we should start the season pretty strong. We see no reason why we can’t be winning races at some point over the year."