MCLAREN DROPS PLANS TO DEBUT UPSIDE-DOWN REAR WING IN AUSTRIA

McLaren abandoned plans to debut its experimental "upside-down" rear wing in Austria, removing it from Lando Norris's car before FP1 even began. The Woking squad aimed to test a drag-reducing concept, mirroring designs seen on Ferrari and Red Bull, intended to shed significant drag in straight-line mode. However, issues surfaced during pre-running checks in the garage, prompting the team to pull the new aero package.

McLaren confirmed the wing won't return for the remainder of the Austrian GP weekend. This advanced component was always considered experimental, not expected to be race-ready until much later in the season. Norris himself admitted it was a "complicated wing" requiring significant work. The delay means McLaren misses valuable track time to gather data on a crucial performance differentiator, forcing them to accelerate development if they want to match rivals on innovative aero later in the year.