Ferrari has brought an upgraded version of its Macarena rear wing to the Hungarian Grand Prix, adding extra aerodynamic elements in the legality box where the rear wing actuator usually sits.
The upgrade is aimed at increasing downforce for the tight and twisty Hungaroring, one of the highest-downforce circuits on the Formula 1 calendar. The design copies the approach used by Mercedes, McLaren, Red Bull and Racing Bulls at the Monaco Grand Prix, when those teams replaced their rear wing actuators with clusters of tiny aerodynamic winglets.
Ferrari did not adopt the concept in Monaco, a decision that drew criticism from Lewis Hamilton. "I think when we arrived on Thursday we saw other people, those guys with trick additions to their wing, we didn't have that, which was a little bit of a surprise," the seven-time world champion said at the time.
The Hungarian upgrade appears inspired by McLaren's Monaco solution. It is understood that this is not the so-called 'Macarena 2.0' that Ferrari is believed to be developing for a potential introduction at its home race, the Italian Grand Prix.
McLaren, meanwhile, is finally debuting its own long-awaited Macarena rear wing in Budapest. The reigning constructors' champions had planned to test the device in Austria but it never appeared on the MCL40 due to early teething problems. McLaren will run the upside-down rear wing for the first time this weekend as part of a significant upgrade package, though the team expects to revert to an older specification after Friday practice.
"We have an upgrade package arriving this weekend, and in such a competitive season every development is important so it will be great to gather further understanding on how those parts perform throughout free practice," said McLaren senior director of racing Randy Singh.
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