Probably it’s worth noticing that Ferrari didn’t change the wing design, simply added a fairing that covers the gap hence eliminates an, although minimal, disturbance to airflow; that’s a modification that very likely, almost surely actually, they would have adopted anyway.
The wing flexes in exactly the same way as before just like all the other cars wings do.
miqi23 wrote:
Every one have been complaning about Ferrari's front wing that its flexing etc etc. I also saw it on TV as well, but I am wondering how is that particular flexing motion seen on TV is giving Ferrari an advantage?
According to Frank Dernie : “that whole story about Ferrari flexing wing is an absurdity, do you know what kind of advantage it gives ? Zero, I’m surprised there are around here very good technical directors thinking otherwise”.
Remember we are talking about a flexing of few mm of an endplate that is distant, from the ground, 150 mm from reference plane + 10 mm skid block + ride height. Probably it was a noticeable advantage till 2000 when the wing was 50 mm from reference plane.
That about the movement seen on the Ferrari wing. The one seen on the Renault is a totally different matter and it gives an indubitable advantage, not because of drag (total drag isn’t very influenced by FW angle) but because modifies the DF distribution front / rear hence the margin of stability and drivers are very sensitive to that. Obviously at low speed you’d like to have a smaller margin of stability to fight understeer but that would kill high speed stability so you have to find a compromise. With a flexing flap the problem is reduced.
That whole story is the typical case of people seeing a tiny wood particle in somebody else eyes and not noticing the beam in their own.