(Motorsport-Total.com) – Even before the Belgian Grand Prix (all sessions in the live ticker!), discussions about the so-called “Macarena” wing continue unabated: Max Verstappen crashed both in Austria and Silverstone after there was apparently a problem with the rotating rear wing on his Red Bull.
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And this does not go without consequences: Not only has Red Bull announced that it will conduct a detailed error analysis and possibly do without the rotating rear wing in Belgium. The FIA, the world governing body for motorsport, has also intervened and announced an investigation. After all, it is about the safety of the drivers.
Several questions remain: Why did the Red Bull wing cause problems repeatedly recently? Why was only Max Verstappen affected, but not Isack Hadjar? And what distinguishes the solution from Ferrari’s rear wing variant, which has apparently worked without problems so far?
Both Ferrari and Red Bull are using a rear wing this season whose active wing element does not fold up or down like the previous DRS but rotates. McLaren plans to use it at one of the upcoming races. The goal regarding downforce and reducing air resistance is the same for all three teams.
What distinguishes the rear wings of Ferrari and Red Bull
However, the mode of operation differs fundamentally because the concepts differ in several details. While Ferrari, for example, has relocated the actuator, i.e., the motor for rotating the wing, to the side endplates, Red Bull still relies on a central adjustment mechanism.
The biggest difference, however, only becomes apparent in operation: While the Ferrari wing rotates counterclockwise up to 225 degrees, the Red Bull variant rotates only about 160 degrees – and clockwise, i.e., exactly opposite to the Ferrari concept.
At first glance, the Red Bull system offers some advantages. It seems to be able to operate faster due to the smaller rotation than the Ferrari solution, and the opening is significantly larger. The Ferrari wing, on the other hand, has aerodynamic advantages when it comes to flow reattachment.
Why Red Bull’s solution has a weakness
This is exactly where Red Bull’s weakness lies. Due to the chosen direction of rotation, there is a late flow separation when resetting the wing. This delays the rebuilding of aerodynamic downforce. Experts refer to this as the so-called “hysteresis.”
With the Ferrari rear wing, the flow already reattaches to the underside of the wing during the rotation movement, even before the flap reaches its end position. In addition, the movement apparently occurs somewhat more slowly, giving the flow more time to reattach. This achieves maximum efficiency earlier.
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The technical regulations of Formula 1 stipulate that the rear wing must close within 400 milliseconds, i.e., four tenths of a second. It is possible that Red Bull’s wing did not meet this requirement because it closed too slowly or not completely – even if the deviation was only in the micrometer range.
If a mechanical problem is indeed the cause, Ferrari’s rear wing could also be affected in principle. However, the Italians are now confident that their development does not pose a safety risk. Accordingly, they do not fear a ban on their own “Macarena” wing.
Has Red Bull pushed the limits too far?
The situation could be different with Red Bull’s variant – even if reliability is ensured and the wing resets within the regulation-compliant 400 milliseconds. What happens in the milliseconds afterward, when the wing is actually already back in its normal position, is crucial.
Apparently, it takes significantly longer for the airflow to fully reattach and maximum downforce to be available with Red Bull’s rear wing. It seems that Red Bull is pushing the aerodynamic design of the rear wing closer to its limits than the competition.
Exactly this could have been Verstappen’s downfall in Spielberg and Silverstone. Both in qualifying in Austria and shortly before the end of the race in Silverstone, the Dutchman was running with little fuel. This meant not only an already light rear but also a very late braking point.
Why the problem did not occur with Hadjar
In addition, both cases involved fast corners with a short braking phase before the car is turned in directly. Possibly, the time between braking and turning was simply not long enough for the airflow to fully reattach to the rear wing and build up maximum downforce.
This would also explain why Verstappen was mainly affected and not Hadjar. The Frenchman drives less aggressively than the four-time world champion and brakes slightly earlier. This gave that crucial tenth of a second more time to reset the rear wing and rebuild full downforce.
All of this, however, is only possible theory. Red Bull’s engineers have significantly more data available to identify the cause and possibly implement a suitable solution already for the Belgian Grand Prix.
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