Red Bull Struggles with Wing Trim at Monza
(Monza, Italy) The Red Bull Formula 1 team is left puzzled by the balance issues that hindered its performance in qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix. One area the team acknowledges it got wrong was the wing levels on its cars.
The rear wing concept used by Red Bull at Monza featured a unique, wavy top flap design. However, this was not the bespoke solution required for the circuit’s demands. This was evident in the speed trap figures, where Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez were well off the pace of rival teams.
Verstappen and Perez recorded top speeds of 347.2 km/h and 346.8 km/h respectively, significantly slower than Fernando Alonso’s blistering 353.5 km/h. Lando Norris in the McLaren also managed 349 km/h, highlighting Red Bull’s deficit in straight-line speed.
The reason for this is that, unlike its competitors, Red Bull did not bring a specifically designed Monza rear wing to the temple of speed. Other teams have opted for a made-for-Monza wing, which is engineered to minimize drag and maximize top speed.
Instead, Red Bull chose to use a trimmed-down version of its current lowest-downforce wing, which is still not optimized for the circuit’s characteristics. According to Verstappen, this decision was influenced by the cost cap, as the expense of creating a bespoke Monza wing was deemed not worth it.
Designing a specialized wing is a resource-heavy process, involving computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis, scale model testing, and full-scale production. Given Red Bull’s limited CFD and wind tunnel runs due to its championship position, the team opted for the more economical, but less effective, solution.
To help balance the aero setup, Red Bull has also made changes to the front wing, removing sections of the upper flap’s trailing edge to reduce downforce and drag. The team has been testing different front wing configurations in recent races, trying to unlock more performance from the RB20.
While Red Bull’s focus remains on addressing the broader aero issues, the team acknowledges that a different approach will likely be needed for the Italian Grand Prix next year. As Verstappen stated, “We have never had a special Monza wing or a special Monza package in recent years. But, in the last couple of years, our car was still good enough to compensate for that. But this might be something that we have to do differently for next year.”
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