TECHNICAL: Teams divided in their downforce level with Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren opting for similar choice
The field is particularly divided in their choice for the optimal downforce configuration at the British Grand Prix. F1Technical's lead journalist Balazs Szabo analyses teams' downforce configurations for the Silverstone round.
5.861 kilometres long, the track is the fifth longest on the calendar after Spa-Francorchamps (7.004 km), Jeddah (6.175 km), Las Vegas (6.120 km) and Baku (6.003 km).
It features 18 corners and is one of the most exciting and also one of the most demanding for the car-tyre package. Some corner combinations, such as those from 10 to 14 – Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel – are taken at high speed and generate lateral forces on the tyres and drivers of over 5g: the average figure at Silverstone is similar to that seen at Spa and Suzuka.
On Pirelli's range, lateral forces and tyre stress achieve the maximum grade at Silverstone while traction and braking forces are moderate.
It is very difficult to find the right aerodynamic setup for the Silverstone track as it features three long straights which would welcome a low-downforce configuration while the high-speed corners require high-downforce wing assembly.
The images of the respected F1 journalist Albert Fabrega revealed that this mixture of corners led to very different choices among the teams. Aston Martin's rear wing represents the highest downforce configuration.
The British team's rear wing features a very pronounced spoon-shaped main plane and a flap that is much bigger than the rivals' one. The tip section of the flap is bent rearwards and sports a concave trailing edge. There is a V-shaped cut-out on the upper edge of the flap behind the DRS mechanism.
Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes and Williams elected to run an intermediate downforce level for Silverstone.
The main plane of Ferrari, Williams and Red Bull are similar in shape and size while the Mercedes' and McLaren's main plane features a more pronounced spoon-like curvature, indicating that they want to generate downforce differently across the span of the wing.
There are differences regarding the flap as well. Red Bull elected to run a fairly big V-shaped cut-out and McLaren a slightly smaller one. By contrast, Williams, Ferrari and Mercedes opted against any cut-outs.
The tip section is also different. Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes run a rectangular tip section while McLaren and Williams opted for a more downwards curved edge.
Kick Sauber, Haas, Alpine and RB appear to run with the lowest rear wing level at Silverstone. All four teams elected to run a much smaller main plane than those of their rivals.
Their choice is also fairly similar as far as the flap is concerned. All four teams went for a flap that is smaller in height, particularly at its outer edges. Due to the smaller flap, all teams opted against any cut-outs behind the DRS actuator.
