A differentiated approach to the wings that shows Monza remains an exception in Formula 1

 Unsurprisingly, this weekend's Formula 1 cars at Monza are very different from those at Zandvoort, with teams opting for low-downforce and low-drag solutions.

A differentiated approach to the wings that shows Monza remains an exception in Formula 1

While there are other high-speed circuits on the F1 calendar, the Temple of Speed remains an exception as most of these are straight and require autonomous downforce.

 

  However, the teams' approach is not uniform, as some have made great efforts to deploy the new package, while others have made some ad hoc adjustments, possibly limited for cost reasons. The

  Red Bull, which is already known to have a certain advantage in terms of straight-line speed, features various rear wing solutions. The low-downforce

   The version features a truncated top flap and a detachable stretcher attached to the trailing edge. In the second solution, on the other hand, a more even trailing edge can be found even if a V-shaped cutout is used in the central part.

 

  Cutting off the trailing edge of the upper wing is obviously a cheap solution in this situation, but requires a compromise as the wing was not specifically designed for this purpose.

 

  And although an increase in straight-line speed can be expected, this is at the expense of wing protection when using DRS. The

 

   Teams also use a different method to balance downforce and drag at the rear of the car, using a wing truss that provides aerodynamic support between the rear wing and diffuser.

  Of course, it's not just the rear that accounts when it comes to downforce and drag. Teams also need to be aware of the ability to balance the needs of the front and rear wheels, and Red Bull also wants to tailor the front wing's upper flap accordingly.

 

  Mercedes also opted for a low-downforce rear wing and beam combination for the Monza, the upper parts of which show a similar trend to designs we've seen in the past, including a truncated trailing edge at the top of the hatch. , but without the stretcher seen at Red Bull.

  Meanwhile, endplate filler plates are also back, as the team clearly identified them as a mechanism that provides the necessary balance of downforce and drag in areas of lower downforce. The

  An interesting feature of this solution, although we've already seen it, is that the top edge of the filler panel has also been cut off, creating a surface slight step to accommodate the DRS faucet.

 

  It's also worth noting that Mercedes has opted for a one-piece wing, which Red Bull and Williams have used earlier this season as a method of reducing downforce and drag.

Aston Martin also offers a solution for the lower end of the downforce spectrum: the team chose to cut the trailing edge of the upper flap and add a Gurney flap to reduce downforce and drag.

 

  This was only paired with a one-piece beam wing, although it had a fairly wide belt compared to some two-piece configurations.

 

  Ferrari opted for a circuit-specific rear wing design at Monza to look for ways to increase straight-line speed over its rivals. The

Its design features a much flatter main floor than teams would normally choose under those regulations, with the scooped variant being the most common to balance downforce and drag.

 

  This new solution also has a low cutting angle but has a sufficiently large top flap to maintain the DRS effect during use.

 

  To improve the car's front-to-rear balance, Ferrari also significantly shortened the top flap of the front fender.

 

  McLaren used the early testing period to evaluate two rear wing and beam configurations on its cars, both using a floating display so the team could get visual confirmation of their driving behaviour.

  The solutions presented differ significantly as the Lando Norris MCL60 (pictured left) has a configuration that appears slightly larger due to the bucket layout of the main plane. However, the trailing edge of the top flap was trimmed to match the bottom profile. The

 

  McLaren initially used a design developed by Alpine but more widely used by Mercedes, in which the cover plate is housed in a cutout in the end plate.

 

  In comparison, it can also be seen that the lower wing strut element of Norris' car has been set back significantly from that of Piastri's car, showing how rear wing and wing struts can be used in tandem to balance their performance.

 

  Alfa Romeo presents one of the most interesting projects that could emerge this weekend, as it brings together numerous fascinating solutions. The

  In particular, like the Ferrari design, it has an almost flat mainplate surface, but it also incorporates a design correction we saw at Alpine earlier this season, where the leading edge is set back from the endplate attachment points so that it doesn't pick up. the total allocated space in the frame area.

 

  The twin gooseneck piers that support the wing are also fairly new, not only because they have to protrude farther back to meet the main plane, but also because of their height compared to standard construction.

 

  The rear of the strut has also been beveled to reduce possible aerodynamic interference in the main plane and upper hatch.

Alpine will also use the aforementioned top-of-the-range configuration this weekend, having already used it at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

 

  What is most interesting, however, is that in the first tests he fitted tufts instead of using the floating display on the underside of the rear fenders and supports, an old technique used by the teams to help him improve the aerodynamics and understand the behavior of these. components.