Mercedes have become the latest team in the paddock to introduce a sneaky upgrade to their rear wing, something the FIA have been trying to stop from happening.
The Silver Arrows have taken inspiration from customer team Aston Martin, by connecting their rear wing endplate and upper flap’s tip section similarly to the Silverstone-based team.
The reasoning behind the development to the rear wing is to manipulate airflow at the back of the car, something which will reverse some of the changes made by the governing body to reduce wake turbulence.
These changes by the FIA were introduced in the new aerodynamic regulations last season, which has seen cars be able to follow one another much closer and for longer.
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Since some teams have started to connect the two rear wing segments though, following has become more difficult again.
Despite the new regs, teams were always going to try and play around with their rear wing, given just how much lap time can be found from tweaking the rear of the car.
Aston Martin and Alpine both introduced similar upgrades to the previously mentioned segments of the rear wing at the Monaco Grand Prix; however, their designs are a little bit different.
Interestingly, Mercedes have copied Aston Martin, whereas AlphaTauri have copied Alpine.
The difference between Aston Martin’s upgrade and Alpine’s, is the positioning of a metal support to the rear wing endplate and upper flap’s tip section.
Mercedes and AlphaTauri are currently the only teams to have copied Aston Martin and Alpine, with no other team yet to take a similar route.
Should further teams introduce a similar upgrade though, then it’ll be fascinating to see whether they copy Aston Martin’s or Alpine’s design, as it’ll perhaps give an indicator as to which design is stronger.
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Mercedes and AlphaTauri have also both recently introduced a new front wing, which Lewis Hamilton used to claim pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix last weekend.
The seven-time World Champion wasn’t able to claim victory though, as he tumbled to fourth on the opening lap.
His last win therefore continues to be the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.