Monza is a very fast track, So teams have to slim their cars aero in order to make them faster and more competitive on the Monza circuit. Here are the updates from Monza.
Sauber have no major upgrades to the C33 for the Monza GP, apart from the rear wing. On the endplate there are only two louvres in stead of the normal five they run. This is so that the rear wing will create less aerodynamic drag as it drives through the air. Air is a thick substances at high speed. At 100 mph its like driving through a fruit cake, and at 200 mph its like trying to drive through a KitKat – lots of resistance. So Sauber have slimmed down their rear wing so it cuts a smaller hole in the air as it passes trough it. This is done by them changing the endplate with less Louvres (vents) to break up wind vortices at hight speed so less drag is created so the car can mover quicker through the air.
Mercedes never brought huge changes to Spa to be quicker, as from Monza that is going to change. Mercedes have taken away there Y100 winglet (monkey seat) from the rear of the WO5. There aim is simple, be allot quicker in a straight line. The Y100 winglet helps the car to on cornering by using the the exhaust gases as downforce for the rear wing, similar too the Blown Diffusers we used to have in Formula 1. By taking this away there is less downforce on the car therefore aiding it in terms of straight line speed, a priority for the fast Italian circuit. Also on the W05 is a new idea to the car a tyre squirt slot fitted on the floor of the car. This is a similar approach to what RedBull and McLaren have done in 2014. It simply robbing the rear diffuser of its ability of glueing the car to the ground. More air flow can then pass through the slot and move on freely without pressing the car into the tarmac as much as no slot and relaying just on the rear diffuser. The net result of this is straight line speed.
Ferrari are the only team to bring a significant upgrade to Monza on the F14T. There front wing is now Cascade-less with now two turning vanes instead. The benefit is a good one, it now will change the air flow to go around the front tyres and less will go over them. So tyre degradation will be allot less for the F14T. The question is why didn’t they have the front wing package sooner? And the answer is simply Monza is a low downforce track so you need to create less drag, which there new front wing allows now thanks to the two turning vanes on the lower tier. Other tracks on the calender have allot of downforce needed and so the new front wing would not be suited and would loose front end grip in cornering. Under steer is not nice.
Williams like Sauber have allot less Louvres in endplate on their rear wing. Running just one. Same with Sauber it will now break up the wing tip edges of both sides of the rear wing, and create a slippery car to cut through the air. Also new on the FW36 is they have cut down the upper flaps on the front wing, so that the front wing will create less drag as it pushes trough that air, as the front wing is also smaller than before for the same reason.
Toro Rosso have taken a very similar approach by cutting down there front wing to help aid with straight line speed, like what Williams have done. They have shaven 3 cm’s off there there top mainpate of there three part front wing. There front wing will create less aerodynamic drag making it quicker, which is ideal for Monza.
Lotus have no changes to their front wing at this moment in time. To get the E22 more streamlined. There wing pylon is now symmetrical to the rear wing and connects onto the rear part of the engine cover, this is supposed to create low pressure as it moves through the air at high speed and therefore creating less drag of the car and making is faster in a straight line. No team has opted for this aero package so will be interesting to see if it helps the team.
RedBull will be running the same rear wing as they did at Spa. Their rear wing features no Louvres so it can cut trough the air better. We know it works well because a RedBull won in Spa a super fast track where speed is a priority to the teams. Apart from that the RB10 is the same from the last GP.
McLaren at Monza have ran very well in the past, thanks to a relatively low downforce car. They will run their rear wing from Spa like RedBull are. There “spoon shaped” wing has Turbercles on top flap to aid with rear stability on high speed cornering like Parabolica corner, and to maintain high speed, this could be the break though McLaren need.
Lastly we have Force India, who have brought a bigger top flap on the rear wing for a better DRS ( drag reduction system) effect. When DRS is enabled form lap three, it will have a significant effect in a straight line in Monza, so if you make the opening even bigger less air will be hitting the rear wing and will move away freely, creating low pressure of the car. Force India may well have the fastest cat in the speed traps so expect them to jump a few places.
