McLaren Formula 1 tech director Neil Houldey admits the squad was "disappointed" not to pick up on the upside down rear wing concept as quickly as pioneering Ferrari, as the team continues developing its own version for adoption after the summer break.
Innovation comes in all shapes and sizes, as F1 teams sink their teeth into a brand-new rulebook in 2026. Some design interpretations are more visible than others, so when Ferrari debuted a striking rear wing in Bahrain testing that rotated 180 degrees between corner mode and straight mode, it captured the imagination – not just of fans, but also of rival designers who then had to go back to the drawing board to figure out whether or not they had missed a trick to reduce straight line drag.
