The twin rear wing tip solution is currently one example – rivals clearly saw the potential on offer when Aston Martin and Alpine concurrently debuted original versions of two barely different solutions at Monaco last 12 months.
All teams have been on the lookout for ways to compensate for among the losses that the rear end regulations have placed on them, because the endplate and flap combination is significantly different from how they’ve been shaped previously.
This was for good reason, nonetheless, as teams became extremely adept at managing the ultimate vortex to extend downforce and reduce drag. While this was good for the automobile's performance, it was troublesome for the automobile behind because it affected the general wake profile.
But designers couldn't unlearn what they already knew, and so they quickly realized that if they might eliminate among the constraints that the regulations appeared to place on them, while introducing a few of their old ideas in latest ways, they might regain a few of what they’d lost. performance.
Just over a 12 months because the advent of those two solutions, there continues to be a good amount of development occurring within the now quite divergent branches of development which have emerged.
Alpine A523 rear wing side comparison
Photo taken by: Giorgio Piola
The foremost route taken by most teams is an alpine structure, with a metal support angled to the tip plate and contained in the joint.
However, as teams modified their designs, there was a move towards an elongated lower tip that extends down over the support and the sting of the foremost plane. There was also a reshaping of the tip section to supply support for the highest flap.
All of those optimizations, together with the redesign of the endplate cutout, are intended to assist discover a compromise between increasing downforce and reducing drag, while still accounting for the facility of the DRS when applied.
Sauber Mono Pillar, Monaco vs Canada
Photo taken by: Giorgio Piola
Sauber introduced latest rear wings to its pool in each Monaco and Canada because the team switched from a dual mounting pillar system to a single unit.
Interestingly, the Swiss company has secured its assumptions, because solutions on either side of the downforce spectrum have two different twin ends. The variant with higher downforce refers back to the Aston Martin design, while the variant with lower downforce refers back to the Alpine line.
Meanwhile, Mercedes is one other interesting case study, because it moved within the direction of Aston Martin in 2023, but switched to the Alpine concept in 2024 (inset below).
Mercedes W15 Imola rear wing comparison
Photo taken by: Giorgio Piola
The German manufacturer has introduced a totally latest variant to its lineup in Imola, developing a forward-reaching outboard-mounted solution.
The overarching goal of the project is evident, because it assumes the exchange of resistance for a given level of downforce of the wing getting used. However, it is a more creative interpretation, which is natural considering the time designers have now had with these regulations and this particular design feature.
Red Bull has also made changes to the rear wing design of the RB20 in Canada because it continues to look for tactics to enhance performance, which is very essential considering the chasing pack is now hot on its heels.
Red Bull RB20 rear wing tip
Photo: Uncredited
His latest design was quite interesting, nonetheless, as he added a small paddle at the highest corner of the foremost plane and an end-plate connector that was also angled parallel to the end-section mounting bracket.
The latest vane can be placed in step with the lower end of the tip (see inset), which was also modified as a part of the refurbishment and takes advantage of some great benefits of the vane. Both change the airflow behavior in that area.
To make sure the wing performed as predicted by the simulation tools, Red Bull doused the RB20's rear wing components with flow paint in the course of the first free rehearsal, and the flows created using the oil paint provided a snapshot of the airflow behavior over these surfaces.
Red Bull Racing RB20 rear details
Photo taken by: Giorgio Piola
It will likely be interesting to see if, how and when other teams start applying similar logic to their very own twin end section solutions, provided that every team in the sector has either had one or is currently using one.
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