Regarding the flexi wings, flexible wings that rotate backwards by removing resistance when subjected to ‘load’ of the air, there have been discussions for more than 10 years. Just 12 months ago there were talks about how to intensify the checks or tighten the verification tests but, given the great Mercedes superiority and the limitation of costs, the matter has been frozen by the FIA. Until now, or rather, until it was thawed out of the images of Barcelona.
Toto Wolff pointed his finger to the rear wing of the RB16B and so the Horner-Marko duo responded in the same matter, aiming for the flexibility of the W12’s front wing. Both sides essentially argue the same thing: they flex too much. It is known that components such as wings, subject to aerodynamic forces of many hundreds of kg, are physically difficult to remain stationary. It is true that some are more shrewd in exploiting the so-called gray area by having more advanced materials, adequately designed to be able to induce an adaptive change with varying speed. But clearly not from today.
Why then are the teams risking a serious controversy for the next race? The Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be the last race with the current controls that perhaps could even end up on the table of FIA’s International Court of Appeal. And again: because given the advantage of a rear flexibility in some way allowed, not everyone has adapted: including Mercedes?
It is useless to bring up sporting ethics arguments: in Formula 1 if you have something that meets the rules and checks, if it gives you advantages, you just use it. The 2021 Formula 1 season is very tight between teams. It is also the last championship before the new regulatory era.
Both actors could say in this regard that “in tomorrow there is no certainty” in the sense: it is better to push to win today since we are certainly competitive because in 2022 you never know. Putting pressure in various ways is a fairly common path that can pay off.
Ferrari has often paid for this kind of pressure
But Red Bull is not Ferrari and can act in a less politically correct way, even at the level of statements. On a technical level at Brackley they fear their British colleagues over the research and development of components like these. For this we could expect a very tough fight and not just on the track.
This season we are seeing how Newey’s car can afford generally less loaded rear wings than its rivals. Which means the car runs well and generates load with less drag, less fuel consumption and less stress for the Honda PU. On the other hand, however, we keep in mind that the RB16B works with a high rake, therefore it drives very inclined on the front, which disfavors its efficiency on the straight.
The new technical directive will be applied from the French GP and we will see how much it will affect Red Bull and Ferrari, but it is clear that in Baku the qualities we were talking about before are quite relevant. Just think of the ‘highway’ on the main straight and the other similar zones.
Mercedes is pressing to prevent its use in Baku (a very efficient Mclaren also would not mind it), through the threats of an official protest that would certainly trigger a counter protest. Mercedes knows that on some tracks it can still have the upper hand but on many others the story is probably different. However, in general there are no margins like in the past.
They know that Honda reliability runs on a not-so-thick thread, conditioning them to force an push even more to the limit. The battle today seems point to point.
They try to put pressure on the ‘flexi wings’ in order to also affect Honda.
How much could Red Bull with a less flexible rear end suffer, especially in the race?
They may be forced to choose whether to ask for more from the Japanese PU or change something regarding the balance. If you need to decrease the load on the rear, it becomes advisable to do it also in the front in order not to facilitate the sliding of the rear, especially on front limited tracks. This can affect development.
Provided that in Milton Keynes, where there are no naive men, they did not know that sooner or later they had to think about the development of a new more efficient wing without losing load points, according to a possible Technical Directive which has now actually been issued.
Why does Toto Wolff talk about big gains?
The Austrian team principal claims first of all that the front wings flex in a similar way to the opponents, it is the rear that is making a certain difference. The images, already seen by the FIA, say something else. For this, Red Bull has played an excellent card on the Mercedes attack that now risks making a rather important false step, if they wanted to make a complaint.
According to what has been analyzed, it would not only be the gain at high speed. The Red Bull wing, but also the Alpine wing, would apparently have a rotation that begins at lower speeds. And they seem to flex very progressively, so they would be very sensitive to speed variation.
Unlike the Ferrari one for example, which seems to flex less and only at high speeds, as does Mclaren.
At Maranello they believe that the DT 18/21 will not have a great impact on the performance of the SF21: “As Ferrari we are happy with this clarification and we will adapt, like the other teams, to the new rules,” said team principal Mattia Binotto.
With the new Technical Directive it is possible that the flexible wings will not completely disappear, but will only work at high speed. These are significant differences and we will have to analyze if and what will change in the balance of the cars, in the maximum speeds and in the exploitation of the PU – not only for Red Bull – when the new and more thorough checks at the Paul Ricard come into effect.
The FIA has set a deadline of June 15 to be ready to install stiffer wings. Fia and Liberty Media don’t mind the tough rivalry as long as it doesn’t bring legal implications that cast doubt on a result.
Ferrari: new operational simulator soon.
In all this there is also the fight in the search for engine technicians. As is known, the Red Bull leaders have already ‘bought’ many technicians (many more than those announced) from Mercedes and are still trying to hire others for the new Powertrains project.
In Maranello, where they are preparing to start the new simulator within a couple of weeks, in recent days many phone calls have arrived from England but for now with little luck. While some prominent men from Brixworth have accepted the offer, at Ferrari they decline the (many) money offered. This must absolutely be seen as an excellent sign of compactness and positivity towards the future. Meanwhile, Toto has played down but, even here, it is not something that can leave them numb off the track.
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