It landed in Montreal at the last moment and was not even planned to be used. The rear wing that was fitted to Charles Leclerc’s F1-75 at the last minute was part of the second upgrade package that Ferrari will take to the British GP.
This new element was sent to Canada just in time for the Monegasque driver to use it on Saturday morning in the last free practice sessions, before qualifying and the race.
Visually, this rear wing was easily recognizable because the part that connects the movable wing (DRS) with the side bulkhead is no longer square, but more rounded to reduce the front area and, therefore, have less drag and reach higher top speed, one of Ferrari ‘s great weaknesses at the start of 2022.
It also features a slightly different main airfoil design, less scooped, as well as a variation to the tapered upper beam wing (the white arrow in the photo below) on the sides of the side bulkheads. .
This modification has been made solely to try and counter the pace of the Red Bull RB18 on the straight, with or without the DRS being open. The element will be part of the second major package of improvements that Ferrari will debut in the United Kingdom, where Carlos Sainz will also be able to use it.
“It was not possible to mount that wing on Carlos [Sainz] because it would have been too high a risk for him,” Maranello boss Mattia Binotto said after the race.
“I clarify and explain what I mean: if Sainz had worn it in qualifying and it crashed into the wall in the last corner, we would not have had spare parts. If we changed the wing at that very moment, it would have been penalized and we would not have been able to get out from the second row.
“It was too big a risk because it’s a rear wing that we produce solely for the UK. We shipped the first copy to Canada at the last minute.”
Ferrari F1-75: here is the most discharged rear wing of Leclerc in Canada
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Ferrari F1-75: the rear wing used by Sainz in Canada slightly more loaded
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
“Charles [Leclerc], on the other hand, had a calmer qualifying because he was still going to start from the last row because of the engine change, I knew I didn’t have to take any risks. And, if for whatever reason I had to change the wing, it wouldn’t have altered his situation much. For these reasons, the choice was obvious.”
But in the hypothetical case that Carlos Sainz had also had that rear wing mounted on his car, could he have overtaken Verstappen in the closing laps?
“If Carlos had it too, obviously he would have had a small advantage. Was that enough to overtake Max [Verstappen]? Who knows? He got close to him and maybe with that wing he would have been even closer.” , concluded the Ferrari .
