F1, Ferrari: new rear wing used by Charles Leclerc in Canada was initially planned for Silverstone. New rear wing was initially planned for Silverstone.

It arrived in Canada at the last minute and was not even planned to be used at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. The rear wing that was mounted on Charles Leclerc’s F1-75 was in fact destined for the next round of the 2022 Formula 1 season, the British GP, as reported by Franco Nugnes for Motorsport Italy.

An interesting background emerges: the first and only part that has been completed was shipped to North America in time for the Monegasque driver to use it on Saturday morning in the last free practice sessions, in time before qualifying and the race.

The new rear wing was easily recognizable because the portion that connects the movable flap to the side bulkhead was no longer square, but rounded to reduce the front section and therefore have less drag with the goal of increasing the maximum speed. Associated with the intervention on the flap, there is also a slightly different design of the main profile, less spoon-shaped as well as a revision of the more tapered upper beam-wing (white arrow) on the sides.

All this to try to counteract the pace of the Red Bull RB18 which is more efficient when the DRS is open. In the battle for developments, Ferrari wanted to test it ahead of the British Grand Prix, where both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will be able to use the update.

“It was not possible to mount that wing on the car of Carlos” – Mattia Binotto explained – “Because the risk would have been too high for the Spaniard. I’ll clarify and explain what I mean: if we put it in qualifying on Carlos’ car and it crashed into the low wall of the last corner, we wouldn’t have had any spare parts. Having to change the type of wing he would have been penalized and we would not have been in the second row. Too big of a risk, because this was a rear wing we produced for Silverstone. We sent the first one which was ready to Canada at the last minute”. – the Ferrari boss added.

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“Charles, on the other hand, was able to qualify more cautiously because, starting from the last row due to the engine changes, he knew he didn’t have to take any risks. And if he needed to replace the wing, at most he would have started not from the back of the grid, but from the pit lane, so it wouldn’t have been a great drama. The choice was therefore obvious … ” – Mattia Binotto continued.

But hypothetically, if Carlos Sainz had had that new rear wing too, could he have overtaken Max Verstappen in the final laps of the Canadian Grand Prix?
“If Carlos had it on the car too, obviously he would have had a small advantage. Would that have been enough to get past Max? Who knows. He came close to him and perhaps he would have been even closer” – the Ferrari Team Principal concluded.