The Brackley team has been focused on finding answers to their porpoising woes , but they are also aware that their chances this year have been hampered by their lack of straightline speed.
Although the performance of the engine has played an important role in recent seasons, the team knows that the aerodynamics it chose at the beginning of the year is what causes its deficit compared to the best.
For this weekend’s race in Miami, which features long flat-out stages, the W13 is fitted with a new smaller rear wing and lower chord wing. Explaining the changes, the German outfit said: “This setup provides lower downforce and lower drag, based on circuit simulations.”
“We will likely prefer this to our higher load option which we have used in the first four races of the season,” they continued. “The new rear wing is combined with a wing configuration that also generates reduced downforce and reduced drag, as part of the Miami package.”
Mercedes has also been using a modified front endplate , which features vertical nose elements with a smaller chord. This was followed by commenting: “The new design improves the efficiency of the front wing by reducing the pressure difference between the upper and lower surfaces at the wingtip.”
The Germans are not the only ones who have opted for lower aerodynamic drag solutions, as Ferrari has introduced a lower downforce upper rear wing configuration, while Haas has a new wing design, which is a cropped version of one of your standard parts.
Alpine’s updates for the Miami Grand Prix focus on adding more downforce to the rear of the car, and feature a revised rear brake drum with a higher angle of incidence, as well as an enlarged endplate.
The team said that will lead to more rear downforce which will help airflow around the inside of the wheels.
Red Bull, for its part, has not presented any updates for Miami, as they chose to introduce their improvements at the last Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, where they dominated without opposition.
