Oscar Piastri has denied that McLaren’s intriguing rear wing design has been the “magic bullet” behind its progression to becoming the benchmark team in Formula 1.
Piastri produced an exceptional drive under immense pressure in Azerbaijan to deliver a win which helped McLaren claim the lead in the Constructors’ Championship.
But the Australian managing to resist Charles Leclerc’s threat saw footage emerge that showed the McLaren’s rear wing appearing to flex to operate like a ‘mini DRS’.
McLaren’s contentious trick has prompted the FIA to discuss potential action on flexing wings, despite the MCL38 having passed all the standard tests in the pit lane.
However, Piastri has no concerns about whether McLaren’s car remains legal, citing that the design is not responsible for the competitive advantage that it has found.
“Well, it is legal,” Piastri told media including Motorsport Week.
“As long as it passes all the tests – and we get tested a lot, it passes, so it is certainly not the magic ticket or magic bullet for why we’re competitive.
“It is legal, it passes all the tests, so I am pretty happy with it.”
Piastri praises McLaren’s new rear wing trick
Piastri has revealed that the aid became known to him during the Baku race, as he commended the manner in which the Woking-based squad has pushed the limits.
“To be honest, the first time I knew it did that was the same time as everyone else last week, and it is not a grey area,” he insisted.
“It gets tested every week, it is legal and they’ve got loads of different tests for the rear wings now, so I honestly did not know it did that until three days ago.
“Obviously in the sport you find every bit of performance that you can without breaking the rules.
“That is what we are doing and what you need to do to become a championship-winning car and team.”
