Red Bull has developed a special rear wing for Monaco that is designed to generate extra downforce – can Verstappen and Perez pull away with it?
Red Bull is leaving no stone unturned in the duel against McLaren and Ferrari: The team has decided to use a rear wing with maximum downforce at the Monaco Grand Prix in order to pull away from the competition once again.
Why is this so special? Although the demands of the tight and twisty Monte-Carlo street circuit make it obvious to strive for the highest possible downforce, cost constraints mean that only very few teams choose to manufacture special parts with high downforce.
Instead, many teams prefer a less expensive solution that is not as extreme, but is also suitable for other tracks with medium to high downforce. Red Bull, however, is aware that its lead over McLaren and Ferrari has shrunk considerably recently and has therefore decided to invest in a wing that is perfectly suited to the requirements in Monaco.
As can be seen in the article image, both the main wing and the top flap of the new wing occupy a much larger part of the allowable area, using a tight radius to join the main wing and the end plate at their junction.
High downforce particularly important in Monaco
The wing tip is appropriately cranked to cooperate with the angle of attack of the upper wing section, while the latter also has a large Gurney flap at the trailing edge.
To compensate for the downforce generated and to account for the increased drag that this new specification brings, Red Bull has added a V-shaped notch to the center section, while retaining the semi-freestanding wingtip arrangement as on the other wings.
Although the rear section of the car remains hidden for now, there will undoubtedly also be a new design for the beam wings (underwings) to complement this arrangement.
World championship leader Max Verstappen has come under increasing pressure from his rivals in recent races, with a lead of less than a tenth of a second on pole position at Imola last weekend.
In the race, he struggled to keep the hard tires up to temperature. As a result, he was exposed to a late attack from McLaren driver Lando Norris. On the narrow street circuit in Monaco, qualifying is all about positions. Red Bull therefore knows that it must leave no stone unturned in order to secure the decisive pole position
