The current debate in Formula1 is to determine if the Red Bull Racing team is using what is called a “flexible front wing” on their Renault-powered RB6.
The wings are inverted airplane wings that produce negative lift at high speeds, therefore pushing the car down and allowing greater speeds in the corners.
The technical regulations of the FIA dictate that the entire bodywork of the car, including the wings, must be deflect by more than a certain value under load. “Bodywork may deflect no more than 10mm vertically when a 500N load is applied vertically to it” says article 3.17.2 of the technical regulation. The FIA carries out static tests and allows a maximum of 10mm deflection at the endplates when a force of 500 Newtons is applied. But in the fast corners, the downforce generated by the front wings is much greater than that, and it is possible that a flexible front wing assembly would have the tendency to get closer to the ground. Therefore, running the end plates closer to the ground produce greater downforce. This would be particularly useful in high-speed corners to balance out the extra downforce generated by the blown diffuser, resulting in the car that is not only faster but also more stable.
From these photos taken in Silverstone and Hockenheim, we can easily see that the wing endplates of the Red Bull RB6 are much closer to the ground than those of their rivals. The flexible wings are nothing new in Formula 1. Some ten years ago, teams started using flexible rear wings that would flex at high speed, reducing drag and allowing higher top speeds. The front wing of the Red Bull has passed all the deflection tests and has been declared legal by the FIA scrutineers. It looks like the other teams will have to duplicate this brilliant idea, just like they are now copying the infamous F-duct team McLaren introduced at the beginning of the year.
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