Until now, Red Bull seems to have opted for a lower downforce car on each track, maximizing top speed at the expense of cornering performance.
Ferrari, meanwhile, has favored a higher downforce solution, meaning it loses out to Red Bull on sheer speed, but is better in the corners, which should lead to better tire degradation.
However, as the two teams prepare for what will be an intense battle for the Formula 1 world championship, the likelihood is growing that the two entities could converge in their approach, in a bid to outwit their rival.
RB18 rear wing
During the years that Red Bull won the championship uninterruptedly, and for the most part during the turbo-hybrid era, the energy drinkers always preferred a philosophy of high downforce, but also relatively high drag. to advance, which often left him at the bottom of the top speed charts.
His approach this year is completely different, and the RB18 has consistently been fastest at the end of the straights. That has allowed the team to stay in the fight even when Ferrari has seemingly done a better job during qualifying.
Red Bull appears to be able to get more out of its generous flat bottom this season and as a consequence has generally used a smaller rear wing than Ferrari so far, contributing to its top speed advantage.
Milton Keynes seem comfortable with where they have placed their car in the setup window, while Ferrari is the team that seems most likely to change their wing setup.
Throughout 2022, Ferrari has tended to favor a set-up more dedicated to improving cornering speed.
However, he arrived in Miami with a new, lower-downforce rear wing, suggesting he was concerned about its top-speed performance. However, the Scuderia chose not to use it, as the low-grip track surface encouraged it to continue with its well-known levels of downforce.
F1-75 rear wing comparison in Miami (top) and Spain (bottom)
This is Ferrari’s third different rear wing configuration this year, as Maranello have deployed two subtly different arrangements so far.
The difference between those two specifications has revolved around the transition points (marked by a red arrow), with more downforce generated in the central portion of the scooped wing, sacrificing drag reduction in the outer section. of the wing
Ferrari opted for a lower downforce version of these two configurations for the Miami Grand Prix, removing the Gurney flap from the trailing edge of the upper wing in an effort to reduce downforce as well as air resistance.
Ferrari’s new wing, which was not unveiled in Miami but was spotted at the team’s secret shoot day at Monza last week, is tuned for minimal downforce and has unpowered wing profiles
The new design, which will be perfect for Baku but could be tested in Barcelona, features a much flatter mainplane design, similar to the new design presented by Mercedes in Miami and already seen in single-seaters like the Alpine A522 this season. .
Ferrari F1-75 front suspension
Ferrari has also changed the profile of the steering arm, in an effort to alter its aerodynamic characteristics (above, highlighted in blue).
The spec used in Miami has an arrangement more like a cricket bat than used elsewhere (circle), and provides a much larger surface area which will not only affect airflow at that point, but also the trajectory that it follows around the suspension elements that surround it.
