Uncovered: New front flexi-wing designs from Mercedes and McLaren

The controversy over flexi wings resurfaced a few weeks ago when Red Bull reportedly alerted the FIA to rival designs, appearing to open up another battleground for a team that has lost the dominance it enjoyed during the 2023 season.

Let’s delve into what’s really going on and how teams like Mercedes and McLaren, who are in excellent form, are finding their own solutions.

The challenge of modern-day F1

Since the beginning of the ground effect era in 2022, Formula 1 engineers have been striving to fully understand this system and maximise its potential.

Unlike the 1980s, current regulations require a design where the point of maximum downforce (or lowest pressure) is closer to the rear of the car. Previously, engineers had much more freedom, allowing them to design very fast, albeit unsafe, cars.

Under the current regulations, cars tend to understeer in slow corners due to the higher downforce on the rear axle. However, this changes significantly in faster corners when the ground effect kicks in.

The suction effect causes the whole car to be much closer to the ground at high speeds, generating more downforce on this element and resulting in a tendency for oversteer in fast corners.

Thus, one of the most challenging tasks for engineers is finding the perfect balance – designing a car that performs efficiently in all conditions.

Key parameters include suspension, ride height, and, most importantly, the aerodynamic balance between the front and rear axles. While the floor of the car is the primary generator of downforce, we must not forget the front wing, which plays a crucial role in directing airflow where we want it.

With a smart enough design, we can also fully exploit the benefits of flexible wings here.

How flexi-wings address the issue

A smart design is one that passes all FIA tests while flexing on track when and where needed. The FIA checks the legitimacy of the front wing using static tests, applying vertical force of 60N at various points and where flaps must not deform more than 3mm.

The main advantage of flexi wings is the ability to control the front wing’s downforce at different speeds.

Ideally, the front wing will be stiff enough at low speeds to generate sufficient downforce to avoid understeer, while at high speeds, it will flex to shift the aerodynamic balance and reduce the tendency for oversteer. Additionally, on long straights, flexible wings can significantly reduce drag and increase top speed.

The entire system must work harmoniously with the car’s floor and other aerodynamic elements to achieve the perfect balance. This is why teams pay so much attention to the front wing and frequently change its design throughout the season. Recent examples are McLaren and Mercedes, whose improvements have significantly boosted their performance in races and qualifying sessions, putting them on par with Red Bull.

How McLaren and Mercedes overtook Red Bull

Mercedes introduced their new upgrade package at the Monaco Grand Prix, where only Russell had the opportunity to test the new front wing. Mercedes abandoned their recognisable ‘legality wire’, which ultimately proved to be an unwise decision.

Although the upgrade wasn’t immediately noticeable due to Monaco’s characteristics, the difference was evident the following weekend in Canada. George Russell secured the team’s first pole position of the 2024 season and their first podium the next day, marking the beginning of Mercedes’ resurgence.

The aerodynamic balance improved significantly after the upgrade, resolving issues with the rear of the car. Mercedes became fast in almost all types of corners, particularly in fast corners and on straights where they had excellent top speed. The only area where they weren’t as quick was in slow corners, but this wasn’t a major issue.

This was followed by another podium for Lewis Hamilton in Barcelona and then two consecutive victories – in Austria and at Silverstone in front of their home crowd. An incredible turnaround for a team that was far from podium contention at the start of the season.

On the other side, McLaren followed a similar development path, changing their front wing for the first time in Miami, which helped Norris secure his first career victory. Although another win is still pending, McLaren looks very strong on the track and likely has the best race pace among all teams.

At Silverstone, McLaren engineers prepared another redesign of the front wing to improve the car’s behaviour in slow corners. The changes to the vanes on the inboard side of the endplate aimed to energise the air at lower speeds, adding stability to the front end.

The confirmation that the new upgrade worked came on Sunday when McLaren was the fastest team in the wet conditions. In such conditions, maintaining tyre temperature and car stability is crucial, which is easiest to achieve with additional downforce. McLaren was also helped by an aggressive aero package on the rear and beam wing.

However, as the track dried, McLaren’s race pace dropped, and Mercedes’ excellent balance came to the fore.

Silverstone is known for rapid tyre degradation, often requiring a compromise on downforce levels. Lewis Hamilton managed to preserve his soft tyres better than Norris and defended against Max Verstappen. This is a clear example of how different philosophies can offer an advantage in various conditions and that finding the middle ground is essential if you want to be the fastest in Formula 1.

It’s worth noting that changes to the front wing aren’t the only reason for the increased speed of these two teams. The real reason is almost never known due to the complexity of the case and the numerous factors to consider.

What we can say, though, is that the new front wing designs have significantly contributed to their performance.

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