Why the battle for the rear wing in Formula 1 is getting even more complicated

At several Grand Prix events, the two outfits – and even the drivers in them – have chosen different directions.

It was a balancing act between opting for a higher downforce solution, which is better on the corners but costly on the straights, or reducing drag and hoping the top speed increases will counter the drawbacks on the corners.

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However, last weekend’s British Grand Prix was quite unique as the approach was different for everyone as all four Red Bull and Mercedes drivers were doing slightly different things.

Much depends on how comfortable it is for each rider to reduce downforce, and that is what they often decide during free practice.

Mercedes W12 rear wing comparison

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At Mercedes, the division began in FP1, with Lewis Hamilton choosing a rear wing with lower downforce in combination with a T-wing, while Valtteri Bottas tested a slightly higher downforce arrangement without a T-wing.

While both drivers eventually opted for the rear wing configuration with lower downforce, Bottas’ side of the garage opted for a Gurney on the trailing edge of the top hatch.

This will have helped balance, especially when changing direction. However, this results in a small drag penalty that shows up in the radar trap numbers when comparing both drivers.

Mercedes W12 rear wing comparison

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Red Bull made similar concessions for Max Verstappen. While Red Bull ultimately opted for a higher downforce solution that made it more exposed on the straights, the Dutchman tried to get a little more speed out of the straights while willing to sacrifice some balance.

Compared to Hamilton’s wing, which had the entire Gurney flap removed, Red Bull felt this was a bridge too far as only the outer part of the Gurney was removed from Max Verstappen’s rear wing.

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Perez, meanwhile, kept the full-length Gurney as he continued to grapple with the RB16B and technically had less downforce as he was behind the curve on updates as noted (both riders had wings without the more complex but endplate).

Red Bull RB16B rear wing comparison

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However, the Mexican’s resignation from the sprint opened the door for the team to make changes and start from the pit lane, which it did properly.

Perez ‘RB16B was then fitted with an even smaller downforce rear wing than Verstappen, with the trailing edge cut farther away on the outer area in an attempt to help him overtake other cars.

This is a design that has been around since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the team had briefly tested it but ultimately decided it didn’t meet their requirements.

However, the difference between the wing Perez used and the one tested in Baku was again a Gurney flap, with one added to help balance through the high-speed turns.

Red Bull RB16B low downforce rear wing comparison

Photo by: Uncredited