McLaren issues statement after the team's 'mini-DRS' rear wing solution faces FIA intervention

McLaren F1 claimed it would make some 'minor adjustments' to its 'mini-DRS' rear wing after the FIA intervention but reiterated that the wing was legal. There was a lot of chatter on social media and in the F1 paddock regarding the low downforce rear wing of the British team after Oscar Piastri managed to hold Charles Leclerc off for 30 laps at last weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix on his way to securing his second win.

Fans and teams alike noticed a slight rotation of one of the elements in the rear wing during the high-speed corner that created a small hole and enabled the car to reduce drag and act as a 'mini-DRS'.

After Red Bull's successful filling, FIA decided to clamp down on the rear wing and advised McLaren to adjust their low downforce rear wing. Ahead of the FP2 session at the Singapore Grand Prix on Friday, the Woking-based outfit released a statement and said (via F1.com):

“Whilst our Baku rear wing complies with the regulations and passes all FIA deflection tests, McLaren have proactively offered to make some minor adjustments to the wing following our conversations with the FIA.

“We would also expect the FIA to have similar conversations with other teams in relation to the compliance of their rear wings.”

After the race in Baku, McLaren overtook Red Bull in the Constructor's Championship after scoring 38 points on the weekend as compared to Red Bull's 10.

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Oscar Piastri gives his take on the focus on McLaren's rear wing

Oscar Piastri said he believed the attention towards MCL38 was natural. They have led races consistently and are arguably the fastest car on the grid for most of the season.

In his pre-race press conference, the Aussie said the discussion regarding the flexi wings wasn't 'personal' to them as he cited the example of Mercedes and Red Bull in previous years. He said:

“I think you look at any car that's been competitive and it always gets scrutinized to the highest level. You look at the Mercedes a few years ago with their rear wing and the infamous 50K touch. You look at a lot of the teams trying to work out Red Bull's DRS effect for the last couple of years.

“We've seen flexi front wings in the past and all sorts, so I think, naturally, there's going to be scrutiny of just people curious to know why your car is competitive. So, I certainly don't think it's personal to us."

McLaren now leads the reigning world champions by 20 points atop the standings with seven races and three Sprints remaining in the 2024 season.