TECH ANALYSIS: Ferrari to run a brave rear wing in Las Vegas
On the back of a series of impressive results in the last rounds, Ferrari arrived in Las Vegas with a brave rear wing configuration, with the Scuderia appearing to run the lowest downforce level among the top teams. F1Technical's senior writer Balazs Szabo delivers his latest analysis.
After two events run on a track built up around Caesars Palace in 1981 and 1982, last year Grand Prix racing found a new home in the entertainment capital of the world, with the track using part of the famous Strip from which it takes its name.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix is the third round this year to be held in the United States, following on from Miami and Austin. After the 7.004 kilometre-long Spa-Francorchamps circuit, the Nevadan track is the second longest on the calendar at 6.201 kilometres. It features 17 corners, tackled over 50 times in the race.
It is a high speed venue, with three straights and top speeds that hit 350 km/h last year, with several overtaking opportunities, especially at turn 14. There are no high-speed corners, with most of the turn considered as low-speed sections. It means that the majority of teams are running lower downforce-level aerodynamic configuration compared to the previous rounds.
As for Ferrari, the Scuderia appears to run a very flat design. The mainplane features a flat central section while the upper flap is a very simplistic design, indicating that the Scuderia is intent on concentrating on the full-throttle sections of the track. While it might pay dividends in the race, the Italian team has so far struggled to get the Pirelli tyres into their operating window which could be partly down to its very aggressive wing selection.
By contrast, McLaren are running a more standard rear wing assembly. The mainplane features a spoon-shaped central segment while the relatively steep flap incorporates a distinctive V-shaped cut-out.
Mercedes set the benchmark in both practice session on Thursday, with the Brackley-based outfit's rear wing sitting between Ferrari's and McLaren's solution. The W15's rear wing assembly has a relatively flat upper flap, and while its mainplane does not feature a spoon-shaped central segment, it is slightly more pronounced than what Ferrari has elected to run this weekend.
Red Bull has found themselves in a very difficult position ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The team does not have a low-downforce rear wing which hampered their chances in Monza at the Italian Grand Prix. In Italy, the Milton Keynes-based outfit ran a medium-downforce rear wing which featured a modified flap section.
The Austro-British squad had opted to trim the upper flap from the lowest downforce rear wing already in its offering to meet the requirements of the Monza circuit, and with the financial regulations heavily restricting teams in their development paths, Red Bull appears to have done the same for this weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Following the opening day, Red Bull's motorsport advisor Dr Helmut Marko said that the reigning champion team did not have an optimal rear wing configuration for the high-speed Las Vegas circuit, and arrived in Nevada with a similar solution to what it used in Monza at the Italian Grand Prix.
"We don't have another rear wing, a smaller rear wing, as we see it on our competitors. It would be more helpful, for sure," added Marko.
After the opening practice, Red Bull have gone a step even further, by removing the Gurney flap to trim down the rear wing even further to aid the RB20's straight-line speed.
