McLaren and Red Bulls had a game that could change everyone’s game changer earlier one weekend with Ferrari owner Frederic Vasseur.

The test limits the amount of front wings that can move when a specific load is attached to some places, and it requires all teams to introduce new front wings.

However, Russell asked about the effect of the rule, giving an ironic reaction that cites Piastri's advantages in the field.

"(This obviously) has made McLaren a lot lower," he said. "Good news."

Even without rules changes, McLaren expects the Spanish Red Bull to face a tougher challenge, as the circuit characteristics are similar to Verstappen's strong track this year.

Verstappen and Red Bull tend to pair with McLaren on faster circuits, while Barcelona falls into similar categories with Suzuka, Jeddah and Imola.

At the same time, though, the weather in Spain is hot, about 30 degrees Celsius, and McLaren’s biggest advantage is managing the rear tire temperature during the race, which could be a factor in the race.

A new front wing flexibility test introduced by governing body The Fia is the talk point for the weekend. Its purpose is to reduce the amount of aerodynamic performance that teams can use to bending wings.

Red Bull is the main force in persuading the FIA ​​to propose tests, with Ferrari hoping tougher restrictions will raise their hopes of competition, while McLaren believes that this will hardly have an impact on them.

The team has long used front wing flexibility to increase straight speed while maintaining downforce under corners. The idea is that the wing "retreats" to reduce drag and then return to its largest lower corner where it produces below.

But in current cars, this phenomenon has been proven to be useful in adjusting the performance of high-speed and low-speed cornering between cars.

The new rules introduced in 2022 have been introduced to the generations of cars focused on bottom downforce generated by the so-called Venturi tunnel, and it turns out that low-speed under-lack - lack of front grips and high-speed oversteering, which is too many front grips.

By making the front wing less effective at higher speeds, the team can reduce this tension at fast corners without making the car too difficult to drive at low speeds.

McLaren and Mercedes are widely regarded as pioneers of this particular approach, but whether the tough tests will have any impact remains to be seen.