Rear wing comparison: Ferrari optimizes balance, Red Bull runs low drag setup

Red Bull continues to soar, while Ferrari must absolutely redeem the poor performance of the SF-24 which we saw at the the 5.451-kilometre Shanghai International Circuit in the Chinese Grand Prix two weeks ago. A Formula 1 weekend where the load-efficiency equation was very good, but due to the tire puzzle, the performance of the Maranello team was quite subdued. A competitive scenario which was made worse by the low temperatures in Shanghai, that certainly will not be present in Florida. The Prancing Horse celebrates 70 years since landing on American soil and also the arrival of HP as their new title sponsor. Among various events planned, there is a tribute through a special livery featuring the two shades of blue from past times. The shades of blue throughout the gear give that retro and sophisticated vibe of the Ferrari from the 60s or 70s and create a visually appealing and undoubtedly collectible set for Tifosi.

Turning to the present, Red Bull remains the team to beat and the Austrian team will also want to send a positive signal after the confirmation of Adrian Newey’s departure. A loss that the team believes it can sustain thanks to the successors: Pierre Waché (Technical Director), Enrico Balbo (Head of Aerodynamics), Craig Skinner (Chief Designer), and Ben Waterhouse (Head of Performance). Then there is Mercedes, which needs a clear turnaround and expects a step forward thanks to updates to correct the key weaknesses of the W15, making it an important weekend of testing for the men from Brackley who, despite having only one hour of free practice available in view of the Miami Grand Prix, believe they can “understand” their car.

Once again, the second time in this early part of the 2024 Formula 1 season, the race weekend is scheduled to take place based on the Sprint format. A particular format strongly desired by owners Liberty Media in order to shuffle the deck. However, unlike last season, the double parc fermé rules offer the possibility of adjusting the setup on Saturday in view of the main race on Sunday. An operation that, if properly exploited, is capable of providing many benefits to better interpret the Sunday race, thanks to the excessive amount of data collected through the mini 100-kilometer race. Without further preamble, let’s move on to the analysis of aerodynamic configurations of the top teams, examining the load installed at the rear of the cars leading the standings, based on images taken from the Miami pitlane on Thursday.

Ferrari optimizes the load, Red Bull new rear wing

The first comparison examines the Ferrari SF-24 and the Red Bull RB20 cars. The Italian team has adopted the same rear wing specification for yet another consecutive race, as we had anticipated a few days ago in a previous article. On the other hand, a new specification could be introduced in the upcoming races, when updates to enhance the performance of the red car will also arrive. Perhaps not immediately at the Imola circuit, but rather in Monaco. It’s worth remembering that the choice to use the same wing should help in understanding the load of the SF-24 and the optimal exploitation of its current potential.

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Ferrari needs to aim to maximize the car’s handling in wide-radius corners, while on paper, it should struggle in slow corners compared to the Red Bull RB20. The integration of the wheels, which then lose performance in the traction phase, gives Red Bull a quite clear advantage. Nonetheless, to increase the ability to generate grip on every type of surface, engineers have sought a compromise in terms of suspension stiffness, which, at least until the Chinese Grand Prix, was not fully achieved. Observing the rear of the Austrian blue racing-colored car, we notice that the RB20 brings back a main plain already used in Saudi Arabia.

This refers to the first wing foil with a different shaping. This specification seems to reduce aerodynamic load, with the clear goal of optimizing performance at maximum speeds. The downforce generated, therefore, should be maximized by adjusting the angle of the profiles related to the beam wing. We know that Red Bull, fundamentally, has a chassis capable of producing a lot of lateral grip which, in turn, allows them to reduce the frontal area of the rear wing. By unloading the rear, they would shift the balance toward the front, so we expect them to use a higher-load beam wing to rebalance the center of pressure.

Regarding McLaren, currently on the MCL38 is mounted one of the two rear wing specifications already seen in this early part of the 2024 Formula 1 championship. Specifically, we are talking about the configuration from Melbourne, Australia. At the moment, one of their fundamental problems remains the speed at the end of the straight, known as the EOSS value, also due to the reduced efficiency level of the car on which they have been working for some time. Unloading the wing moves the center of pressure of the McLaren MCL38 too far forward, therefore generating excessive oversteer that contributes to increased tire degradation so it is therefore not an option for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Now let’s move to Mercedes. As mentioned, the Silver Arrows will debut some updates on the W15 single-seater this weekend, a choice made in order to accelerate development and try to raise the performance of the black and grey cars. For the event in Florida, the German team continues to use the “spoon” rear wing, a specification observed in most of the first six races of the current Formula 1 championship. It’s a wing with which they are fairly comfortable, and in the last few races, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, with the help of the technicians, have managed to find a good compromise between the balance it creates in fast sections and the top speeds it allows to achieve.

Ferrari SF-24 Miami