The FIA has delivered an initial ruling on the legality of Ferrari’s radical rear wing. On Thursday Lewis Hamilton tested a spoiler that rotates 180 degrees on the straights to let more air through. On Friday the Scuderia reverted to a conventional design, but team principal Fred Vasseur hinted the rotating concept could also be deployed in Grands Prix.
After the first test week in Bahrain the focus was already on the different wings teams have developed. Alpine turned heads with a design that opens extremely far, but Ferrari took it up a notch on Thursday. On the straights the spoiler flap flips upward, creating lift and thus a higher top speed. In the corners it closes again and the wing produces downforce. FIA technical director Nikolas Tombazis reacted positively to the innovative design and said the wing also complies with all the regulations.
“Generally we encourage solutions that reduce aerodynamic drag,” Tombazis replied when asked. “That’s why last season’s DRS rules, which limited how far the wing could open, are off the table this year. We want to give teams more freedom and therefore think Ferrari’s solution is fine.” On Friday Charles Leclerc tested again with the ‘old’ wing system. The question remains to what extent Ferrari will apply the rotating concept during the season, although it is clear this can make a significant difference on fast circuits like Monza, Las Vegas and Jeddah.
