The ingenious three-link mechanism behind McLaren's…

The ingenious three-link mechanism behind McLaren's pivoting rear wing

After setting it aside in Austria to further refine the concept, McLaren has finally debuted its version of the pivoting Formula 1 rear wing. It is an experimental prototype intended primarily for data collection, with the final version expected to arrive in the second half of the season. But McLaren’s idea for the pivoting wing is far more complex than it might initially appear.

Interestingly, while Ferrari's pivoting wing and Red Bull's version share virtually nothing in common – neither the direction of rotation nor the way the movement is achieved – McLaren's solution appears to borrow certain principles from both, before distinguishing itself through its own highly refined and sophisticated engineering choices.

The engineers at the Woking-based team decided not to integrate the actuator into the endplate, as Ferrari has done with its so-called "Macarena" wing. Instead, they retained a centrally mounted actuator that, through an ingenious three-link mechanism, enables both flaps to rotate into the deployed position.

The mechanism behind McLaren's new wing (Photo by: Marcel van Dorst / EYE4images / NurPhoto via Getty Images)

In essence, the wing rotates backwards as it pivots open, much like the Red Bull RB22 design. However, McLaren's engineers made a particularly interesting choice: they do not lift the outer edge of the wing when it opens. This helps reduce the turbulence generated when the outer corners become exposed, unlike Red Bull's solution, which uses a complex system of lateral pivots that themselves rotate during deployment.

On the McLaren, the lateral pivot points are more conventional. Two free-moving pivot elements are positioned at the ends of the upper flap, allowing the movable wing elements to rotate while following the movement of the hydraulic actuator. This design keeps the wing tips very close to the endplates, limiting the formation of turbulence that would normally increase when the outer sections of the wing are exposed.

Even more interesting, however, is the design of McLaren's central actuator. Whereas Red Bull uses a robust metal structure housing the actuator and connecting directly to the rotating pivot that raises the wing, McLaren's engineers have adopted an entirely different approach: three interconnected links joined by pivot pins that allow them to tilt and rotate freely. It is a sophisticated solution that achieves the desired motion through a far more intricate kinematic arrangement.

The mechanism powering McLaren's new wing (Photo by: Gianluca D'Alessandro)

When the movable wing is activated, the first link (shown in blue in the images above) is pushed by a piston extending from the actuator until it reaches an angle of roughly 45 degrees. The second link (shown in white) moves accordingly, extending into an almost horizontal position. Finally, the third link (shown in yellow), which is connected to the lower of the two movable flaps, rotates upwards until it forms an angle close to 90 degrees with the second link.

In summary, the final yellow link is the component that physically lifts and supports the flaps, ending up in a vertical position. With this arrangement, the pivot points are not attached to a fixed support structure as they are on the Red Bull – which required the construction of a rigid "cage" to house the mechanism. Instead, the links themselves serve as the load-bearing structure, likely offering a weight-saving advantage as well. It is a highly intricate yet exceptionally clever engineering solution.