McLaren trials new Mercedes-style nose
McLaren has trialled a new Mercedes-style experimental nose in opening practice for the Tuscan Grand Prix, with the team hoping it is good enough to be raced before the end of this season.


Carlos Sainz's car was fitted with the new design at Mugello for a brief run at the start of FP1.
The nose is very similar to the design pioneered by Mercedes, with a narrow main structure, and narrow under nose pillars. The cape is also positioned higher.
The nose change has forced McLaren to conduct a new crash test, and it will have to make a decision about which direction it wants to go with this area of the car before a September 30 deadline that freezes major car parts.
McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl suggested that the nose had delivered some promising figures in the wind tunnel, which it now needed to see carried over to the race track.
"We simply want to gather some data because we found a good direction there in the wind tunnel," he said "It's something we want to confirm on track first, before we then make decisions on if that's something we want to bring to the track later in the year."
Read Also:
Seidl said the nose was not yet ready enough to be carried over into a race weekend, but suggested that, if it works, it could be given the green light before the end of the European phase of the season.
"It's not at the state yet to race it," he said. "It's really an experimental test today to get some data for comparison with what we have seen in the wind tunnel before then making our final decision.
"I would expect if it's positive that we can hopefully bring it in the next two or three races to the track. Hopefully it's a clear enough gain to make it a new standard."
McLaren has been pushing on hard with its development plans, having already trialled some experiments with the new 2021 floor a few races ago.
While major chassis components are frozen for next year, teams can still make aerodynamic updates so have potential to make good gains.
The new floor changes for next year are aimed at cutting downforce so that Pirelli's tyres are better able to cope with the increasing forces that the cars are delivering.

McLaren MCL35 nose detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Related video

Vettel has no regrets about his time at Ferrari
Tuscan GP: Bottas outpaces Verstappen in first practice

Latest news
McLaren explains gaps between qualifying and race pace
McLaren Formula 1 team boss Andreas Seidl has explained that being able to mask the car's lack of downforce in qualifying is behind the large discrepancy between qualifying and race pace.
Why Piastri's F1 attempt to join McLaren carries risky implications
After the 2006 Formula 1 British GP, Lewis Hamilton's father Anthony was a frustrated man, despite his son - at the time a star in GP2 - had just scored a memorable double win in that weekend's feature and sprint events.
Perez: DNFs have been "killing" my F1 season so far
Sergio Perez still believes “everything is open” in the Formula 1 title battles after the summer break despite some DNFs “killing” his season so far.
Alpine: Ocon has what it takes to lead the F1 team in 2023
Alpine Formula 1 boss Otmar Szafnauer believes that Esteban Ocon has what it takes to lead the team following Fernando Alonso’s departure at the end of this season.
Why few would blame Leclerc if he leaves Ferrari in future
OPINION: Ferrari's numerous strategy blunders, as well as some of his own mistakes, have cost Charles Leclerc dearly in the 2022 Formula 1 title battle in the first half of the season. Though he is locked into a deal with Ferrari, few could blame Leclerc if he ultimately wanted to look elsewhere - just as Lewis Hamilton did with McLaren 10 years prior.
The other McLaren exile hoping to follow Perez's path to a top F1 seat
After being ditched by McLaren earlier in his F1 career Sergio Perez fought his way back into a seat with a leading team. BEN EDWARDS thinks the same could be happening to another member of the current grid
How studying Schumacher helped make Coulthard a McLaren F1 mainstay
Winner of 13 grands prix including Monaco and survivor of a life-changing plane crash, David Coulthard could be forgiven for having eased into a quiet retirement – but, as MARK GALLAGHER explains, in fact he’s busier than ever, running an award-winning media company and championing diversity in motor racing. Not bad for someone who, by his own admission, wasn’t quite the fastest driver of his generation…
Could F1 move to a future beyond carbon fibre?
Formula 1 has ambitious goals for improving its carbon footprint, but could this include banishing its favoured composite material? Pat Symonds considers the alternatives to carbon fibre and what use, if any, those materials have in a Formula 1 setting
The traits that fuelled Alonso's unexpected Aston Martin F1 move
Fernando Alonso’s bombshell switch to Aston Martin sent shockwaves through Formula 1, not least at Alpine that finds itself tangled in a contract standoff with Oscar Piastri. Not shy of a bold career move and with a CV punctuated by them, there were numerous hints that trouble was brewing.
The elements Ferrari must resolve to first save face, then win championships
OPINION: Ferrari's Formula 1 title hopes look all but over after another strategic blunder in last week's Hungarian Grand Prix denied Charles Leclerc the chance to fight for victory, while handing it to chief rival Max Verstappen. The Scuderia now faces intense scrutiny over what it must now do to finally become a genuine factor in championship battles
The clues about Hamilton’s F1 retirement plans after Vettel decision
OPINION: Sebastian Vettel is set to leave Formula 1 at the end of 2022 and will, rather shockingly, be replaced by Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin. But what about the final chapter of the other driver that defined the post-Michael Schumacher era? In Hungary, Lewis Hamilton spoke about his future in the context of Vettel’s upcoming departure, which offered clues on how long it will last.
Why all signs point to F1’s Monaco special relationship continuing
OPINION: With more potential venues than there are slots in future calendars, rumours have been circulating that the Monaco Grand Prix could be a casualty of F1’s expansion into new markets. But Mark Gallagher thinks this is highly unlikely.