Mercedes rejected the Macarena wing a year ago — but hasn't closed the door

Mercedes assessed and dismissed the Macarena rear wing concept over a year ago, deputy technical director Simone Resta has disclosed — making the Silver Arrows the only team among Formula 1’s top four yet to show public interest in the innovation that has spread rapidly through the paddock in 2025.

The rotating wing, whose main flap inverts when a car enters straight-line mode to shed drag, was first raced by Ferrari, who gave it its now-familiar nickname. Red Bull brought its own version to Miami, and McLaren has confirmed it will race a similar design at some point this season.

Resta, speaking on the team’s Nu Silver Arrows Radio Show, said the concept reached the drawing board at Brackley but was ultimately set aside. “We had this kind of wing on our drawing board a bit more than a year ago,” he said. “We’ve been evaluating this concept quite in detail and it’s clearly offering a benefit in drag reduction, but it’s also coming with a reduction of downforce in every session you operate the Open SM. It’s something that we never felt in balance to be the best overall compromise.”

He was careful not to rule out a reversal of that decision. “It doesn’t mean that the same conclusion is valid forever and we might revisit our view and our position going forward,” Resta added. “We are, of course, humble, checking every solution that is out there, evaluating if there’s anything interesting for us to pick up.”

Mercedes has not needed the device to stay competitive. The team leads the constructors’ championship on 578 points, 134 ahead of Ferrari, with Kimi Antonelli holding a 102-point advantage over team-mate George Russell heading into the United States Grand Prix.

The immediate technical focus at Austin is on deploying a recent upgrade package across both cars. At the Singapore Grand Prix, the new components were split between the drivers — Antonelli ran the updated specification while Russell evaluated the older version. Team principal Toto Wolff has confirmed both cars will carry the new parts at the American race.