Why McLaren have named their rotating wing the 'H-Wing'

McLaren will be looking to continue their run of good form at the upcoming Italian Grand Prix, a weekend in which the team have announced some new parts for the car – including the ‘H-Wing’.

After Ferrari debuted their so-called ‘flip-flop’ rotating rear wing during pre-season testing, Red Bull revealed a version of their own at Round 4 in Miami while McLaren later went on to trial a rotating design during Free Practice 1 in Hungary.

Now the Woking-based outfit are planning to run the wing during the Monza weekend and, in their preview of the event, also explained why it has been called the ‘H-Wing’.

“The H-Wing’s naming convention pays homage to McLaren’s innovative F-duct, which debuted in 2010 and took its name from the ‘F’ in the branding positioned alongside the system’s inlet on the car,” the preview reads.

“In the same spirit, the H-Wing is named after the ‘H’ in Etihad Airways branding displayed on the rear wing as part of the team’s partnership with the airline.”

McLaren stated that they will also introduce some “minor aerodynamic updates” at the Italian Grand Prix, as well as using “previously declared parts that are specific for such a unique track layout”.

Neil Houldey, Technical Director of Applied Engineering at the team, said ahead of the weekend: “Monza presents a unique challenge, with its long straights placing a premium on drag reduction, while the heavy braking zones demand stability and the chicanes require good ride performance.

“Energy will also be limited around the lap, so understanding the best way to recharge and deploy it will be an important focus during practice. Managing overtakes will therefore be particularly important, as different approaches to harvesting and deploying energy could create a yo-yo effect, with cars trading an advantage at different points around the lap.

“That said, the margins at the front remain extremely tight, so the accuracy of our pre-event simulation and simulator work will be critical in giving us a strong baseline. From there, we need clean practice sessions to refine the car and maximise the car-and-driver combination.

“This weekend, we have brought what we believe is needed to be competitive, including a new low-drag rear wing specification, including the first use of our H-Wing, alongside some small aerodynamic and low-drag options that we will evaluate before deciding the final specification for Qualifying.

“Overall, we know there is still more performance to unlock from the MCL40, both through maximising the package we already have and through further upgrades planned for the races ahead.”