McLaren Mini DRS would only be ‘relevant’ at one more circuit on 2024 calendar

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McLaren was embroiled in controversy over the Singapore Grand Prix weekend when Red Bull and Ferrari protested their rear wing design.

The ‘Mini DRS’ was spotted in the aftermath of Oscar Piastri’s win at the Azerbaijan GP, whereby onboard footage of the rear of his car showed the upper flap of his DRS opening without being activated in the usual manner.

Instead, it pivoted upwards when at speed which enabled Piastri to dump extra drag on the straights while defending from Charles Leclerc.

The FIA investigated the design on the Friday of the Singapore GP at the request of Red Bull and Ferrari, and subsequently told McLaren to revert to an older specification wing despite it passing all of the deflection tests.

FIA single-seater director, Nikolas Tombazis subsequently explained that it would have been wrong to disqualify McLaren because it still met all the design requirements set out by the governing body but contravened the spirit of the rulebook.

Discussing the Mini DRS on the Flat Chat with Codders podcast, journalist Alex Kalinauckas explained where it would have likely been most useful at the remaining six races on the calendar.

McLaren Mini DRS only relevant at Las Vegas Grand Prix

With Singapore being a high downforce circuit the Mini DRS was unlikely to help the team, while most of the upcoming circuits also demand a mix of high and medium downforce setups.

Kalinauckas highlights one race that the trick system would have helped McLaren at due to its long straights similar to those at Baku.

“All the chat in Singapore was McLaren’s mini DRS and how that had been influential in Baku,” said Kalinauckas.

“Well, if that had been allowed to continue, that would only have been relevant at Las Vegas.”

McLaren ‘very clever’ front wing helped them at Singapore

Despite needing to revert to the older version of their rear wing, it was McLaren’s front wing that caught the eyes of everyone in the F1 paddock in Singapore.

Even though flexible wings are banned in F1, it is accepted that some will deform at high speed. The challenge for the team is to meet the deflection tests set out by the FIA to be deemed safe enough to run.

READ MORE: McLaren ready to ‘unleash’ package as Red Bull ready to ‘hit back’ with upgrades

McLaren’s front wing was seen flexing enough to influence the handling of their car at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, before returning to the usual upright position under braking zones.

Teams can make massive gains through medium and low-speed corners with effective front wings designs, as Mercedes did earlier in the season when they managed to find a breakthrough with the W15 which also drew criticism from rivals.