A recent effort by the Prancing Horse focused on closing the gap with respect to its main and, at the moment, only rival in the fight for the title, has borne fruit, and could be key in the future of the 2022 Formula 1 season.
From the start of the year, GPS data from the Red Bull RB18 and the Ferrari F1-75 showed how they achieved their lap times in different ways. The Italians were better in low and medium speed corners, while the Austrians excelled on the straights with a great tip.
And, as Maranello boss Mattia Binotto admitted, the difference between one and the other, especially when the DRS was opened, was something that could not be ignored: “We had a disadvantage compared to the Red Bulls, without a doubt, in terms of speed on the straights.
“So we did a lot of work on DRS power,” the Swiss said before that work culminated in the introduction of a new rear wing at the Canadian Grand Prix, although they only had one piece of this configuration on the car. by Charles Leclerc.
The Monegasque was chosen because he had to start the race in Montreal from the bottom of the grid due to an accumulation of penalties for changing components of his power unit. If he spun and broke the wing, he risked breaking the parc fermé , so he would have had to start from the pitlane, but it wouldn’t have been a disaster after seeing that they used that appointment to refresh his engine cycle.
It was already clear at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve how different the two wings were when compared to each other. The official figures of the speed trap confirmed this, and it is that Leclerc led the table with a top of 342.7 km / h , while his partner, Carlos Sainz, could barely reach 331.3 km / h .
Meanwhile, on the finish line, the Monegasque clocked 300.6 km/h , compared to the 294 km/h of the Spanish Ferrari driver.
Ferrari F1-75 rear wing comparison
The wing undergoes several changes, with a noticeable reduction in length in the main plane in the central section, leading to a much smoother transition towards the ends. That contributes to reduced downforce and drag, but there are also updates to the beam to consider, with both elements clipped at their end.
Changes made to that region where it runs outwards from the wing help Ferrari gain an advantage when activating DRS, which is especially important one lap into qualifying.
Formula 1 car designers always try to maximize the size of the opening, with 85mm between the main plane and the upper flap, and that has been increased near the extremes in the Maranello car setup.
However, it should be noted that this is a trade-off between design factors, as Ferrari previously performed better when the flying wing was not in operation.
Detail of the open DRS
The modifications that have been made give rise to a trade-off that drivers must take into account in their possible set-ups and tire management during the course of a race.
Meanwhile, Red Bull has been refining and optimizing facets of the RB18 ‘s design, as they feel there is more performance to be achieved in other areas. Since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Milton Keynes have opted to remove the top of the two wing elements, which helps to reduce the aerodynamic drag that is generated.
Red Bull Racing RB18 spoiler comparison
Do you want to read our news before anyone else and for free? Follow us here on our Telegram channel and you won’t miss a thing. All the information, at your fingertips!
