No active aero in the Principality? No matter. Deprived of DRS this weekend, the top teams – Mercedes and Red Bull in the lead – have found a magnificent loophole in the regulations to generate even more downforce in the streets of Monte Carlo.
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This is the magic of Formula 1 and its engineers with constantly buzzing brains.
For the Monaco Grand Prix, the FIA made a radical decision: the outright ban on active aero. In short, on such a winding track with no real straight lines, the wing flaps will remain fixed. No switching from “cornering mode” to “straight-line mode”.
While one might have thought this would simplify the teams’ work, the exact opposite happened. Freed from the weight and complexity of the usual activation mechanisms, several teams took advantage of these “empty zones” to graft on completely new mini-winglets. An obsessive quest for every marginal gain.
Mercedes goes all out, Red Bull refines
Normally, these ultra-complex aerodynamic appendages would disturb the airflow too much during the opening and closing of the flaps. But in Monaco, since everything is fixed, the engineers rushed into the regulatory breach.
Mercedes surprises: The Silver Arrows have carried out an almost complete redesign of the area. The classic mechanism has been largely trimmed to make way for a set of ultra-complex winglets. Objective: to regain grip in the slow sections.
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Red Bull in ambush: On the Milton Keynes side, the approach is more surgical but just as visible, with two superimposed aerodynamic elements, directly grafted onto the top of the original central mechanism.
McLaren and Audi get involved: The Woking team has unveiled a similar concept. For its part, Audi took advantage of the fixed front wing to remove the massive fairings of its mechanisms, thus optimizing drag at the front of the single-seater.
Ferrari behind (for now) ?
Amidst this technical effervescence, one car attracts attention for its simplicity: the Ferrari. Initial observations in the Principality paddock show that the Scuderia has not (yet) sought to exploit this loophole.
It remains to be seen whether this more conservative choice by the Reds will pay off, or if the audacity of Mercedes and Red Bull will make the difference in the Monegasque streets where every thousandth of a second is worth gold. Qualifying promises to be more fascinating than ever!
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