ZAK BROWN HINTS MCLAREN COULD UNLEASH IT'S OWN 'MACARENA' WING

 

©McLaren

McLaren may be preparing to join Formula 1’s latest aerodynamic arms race after Zak Brown dropped a strong hint that the Woking squad is seriously evaluating its own version of the now-infamous “Macarena” rotating rear wing.

What began as a curious Ferrari experiment earlier this season is rapidly becoming one of the paddock’s hottest technical trends – and now McLaren appears to be circling the innovative concept.

After briefly trialing the idea in pre-season testing, the Scuderia gave the rotating element a more complete outing in Miami. Red Bull then arrived in Florida armed with its own interpretation as part of a major RB22 upgrade package.

The result? A clear performance leap, although it’s unclear how much of that improvement was to the novel rear wing.

Max Verstappen returned to the sharp end with a front-row qualifying performance, while McLaren itself enjoyed its strongest weekend of the season as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri secured a double podium finish.

And Brown openly admitted the reigning constructors’ champions have been paying close attention.

“We have. As you can imagine, all the teams look at what each other do,” Brown told Sky F1. “It’s clever and we think it could be beneficial, so not surprised to see another team using it.”

That comment alone has ignited speculation that McLaren engineers are already deep into studying how to integrate a similar concept onto the MCL40.

A consolidating field

The intrigue surrounding the rotating rear wing is only adding fuel to an increasingly intense development battle at the front of the grid.

After a shaky opening to the season, McLaren and Red Bull both made visible gains in Miami, tightening the fight with Mercedes and Ferrari as Formula 1 edges toward another ultra-competitive era.

Brown believes the field compression has already begun.

“They’ve been quick all weekend, so they’ve got some great development on the car,” he said of Red Bull.

“Obviously [there’s] the Ferrari and then the Mercedes, so you have your top four. If you look at the lap times now compared to Australia, the whole field is starting to get consolidated.

“So I think 0in not too short order, we’ll be back to where we were with a very competitive, tight grid.”

And if McLaren does unleash its own “Macarena” wing in the coming races, Formula 1’s aerodynamic chess match may become even more fascinating.

- Michael Delaney

SCUDERIA FERRARI | SF-26

 

AUDI ANNOUNCE FORMER FERRARI CHIEF BINOTTO AS NEW F1 BOSS AS SEIDI DEPARTS

 Audi have announced former Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto is returning to Grand Prix racing as the new leader of their Formula 1 project.

Earlier this year German car maker Audi took full ownership of the Sauber team, which will be run under the Audi banner from 2026, with an all-new power unit currently being developed in-house in Germany.

Binotto, 54, will assume leadership of the operation on August 1, as Chief Operating and Chief Technical Officer based at the Sauber factory in Hinwil, Switzerland, and will report directly to the board of directors.

As part of the restructure, former McLaren Team Principal Andreas Seidl – who joined Sauber in January 2023 and was CEO of the Audi team – is leaving, along with Audi executive Oliver Hoffmann, who was overseeing the project.

Binotto was Chief Technical Officer at Ferrari until being promoted to Team Principal in 2019. He left Maranello in 2022 after three years in the job, and having been with the Scuderia since the mid-1990s.

As part of the restructure, Andreas Seidl is leaving the project

“I am delighted that we have been able to recruit Mattia Binotto for our ambitious Formula 1 project,“ said Audi CEO Gernot Dollner.

“With his extensive experience of more than 25 years in Formula 1, he will undoubtedly be able to make a decisive contribution for Audi.“

Explaining the restructure, Dollner added: “Our aim is to bring the entire Formula 1 project up to F1 speed by means of clear management structures, defined responsibilities, reduced interfaces, and efficient decision-making processes. For this purpose, the team must be able to act independently and quickly.

“I would like to thank Oliver and Andreas for their important work in establishing our entry into Formula 1 and their commitment in preparing it,“ he said.

Kick Sauber will be rebranded as the Audi works team from the 2026 season

The first driver confirmed to be part of Audi’s new F1 project is Nico Hulkenberg, who will make the switch to Kick Sauber from Haas at the end of the season in what the German described as an “interesting” and “very exciting” move.

“It’s really a white piece of paper [for the 2026 regulation changes], and on one side I think that’s good,” said Hulkenberg, whose team mate for 2025 and beyond has yet to be confirmed by the operation.

“It’s not a new team but it’s going to be labelled a new team because probably all the know-how and advantage that current teams have, it’s wiped away a little bit, and it’s more a level playing field, [or] starting playing field for everyone.

“I think that offers a good opportunity to be competitive straight away, but expectations are always to be successful as quickly as possible.”

Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas and Chinese racer Zhou Guanyu have represented the Hinwil team since 2022, but the futures of both drivers are unknown beyond the end of the current campaign.

- F1.com

WHO MIGHT REPLACE LEWIS HAMILTON AT MERCEDES?

Reuters 

 Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari for 2025, confirmed on Thursday, gives Mercedes plenty of time to replace him but the big question is who will step into the shoes of the most successful driver of all time?

More than half of the current starting grid will be out of contract at the end of the season but inevitably some stand out more than others.

Several potential candidates are not even in Formula One at present and look like long-shots, but Formula One is never short of surprises.

The following looks at the possible options for Mercedes and the questions raised.

CARLOS SAINZ, 29

The Spaniard whose place has been taken by Hamilton would be a straight swap. He has, however, been considered a top target for Audi, who are taking over Sauber and entering as a works team in 2026. He would be the likely number one there, and Audi have strong connections with his father who won last month's Dakar Rally with them. Would either he or Mercedes want to do a deal for one year or would he be open to a longer one?

ALEX ALBON, 27

The ex-Red Bull driver has been a big hit with Mercedes-powered Williams, scoring all but one of their points last season and hauling them up to seventh overall. Williams are run by James Vowles, who was previously a close confidant of Mercedes principal Toto Wolff as that team's head of motorsport strategy. A deal for Albon, an old friend and rival of George Russell who also graduated from Williams, would surely be straightforward.

ANDREA KIMI ANTONELLI, 17

The 17-year-old Italian is yet to debut in Formula Two but considered a big talent for the future and already under contract to Mercedes. If not ready for the former champions, he might be offered to Williams to get experience.

MICK SCHUMACHER, 24

Michael Schumacher's son is the official reserve. His seasons with Haas were difficult and he is now on the roster of endurance drivers with Renault-owned Alpine. Michael raced for the team, his place taken by Hamilton in 2013, but Mick looks a long shot compared to other options.

ESTEBAN OCON, 27

A Mercedes-backed junior driver and reserve and preparing for his eighth season in F1 and fifth with Renault/Alpine. The team rated him very highly but he may have slipped down the list of options by now.

VALTTERI BOTTAS, 34

Hamilton's team mate before Russell replaced the Finn, who will be out of contract at Sauber at the end of the year and whose place could go to Sainz. He knows all the people at Mercedes but a return would surely be unlikely.

FERNANDO ALONSO, 42

The evergreen double world champion is out of contract at Aston Martin at the end of the year but showing no sign of wanting to stop and still looking highly competitive.

SEBASTIAN VETTE, 36

Could Germany's four-times world champion be persuaded to come out of retirement and make a comeback, just as Schumacher did in 2010? Vettel, at 36, is younger than Hamilton. He didn't entirely rule out a return when he left Aston Martin in 2022.

- Alan Baldwin

CARLOS SAINZ CONFIMS HE WILL LEAVE FERRARI AT THE END OF SEASON

 

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