F1 teams unveil their low drag solutions

The long straights and high-speed nature of the Formula 1 circuit in Saudi Arabia always provided the perfect opportunity for teams to showcase their low-drag ideas.

Ferrari has duly provided its SF-23 F1 car with a number of tweaks, not only to meet the specific challenges of the circuit, but also as part of its ongoing search for more performance.

It all started with the front wing, which featured detailed changes in two areas. First, the upper flap has been trimmed back to reduce downforce and drag, offsetting similar reductions made with the rear wing.

A significant change was also made to the connection between the flap and the endplate (red arrow). There’s now a C-shaped cutout here, similar to the solution other teams have been following this season as they look for ways to recreate some of the washout effect the regulations are trying to prevent.

Ferrari’s solution is likely a quick workaround to improve things while a more solid solution is worked on for the upcoming races, as only the rearmost flap has been modified.

In comparison, others have more fully integrated the rest of the flaps and endplate into their design.

There are also some changes to the bottom edge, as the front cutout and raised rear section have been refined to improve airflow passage while improving underbody performance.

The lower downforce and single-pillar rear wing that Ferrari tested during free practice in Bahrain also returned, along with a depowered beam wing arrangement to reduce downforce and reduce drag even further.

Red Bull has added another rear wing to its range of options for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which does not look massively different and is also not located at the lower end of the downforce scale.

Instead, it’s a balanced shift towards the lower end of the spectrum that still offers enough support in corners when needed, but also generates less drag than its counterpart used in Bahrain.

Similarly, the beam wing has also been set back slightly so that it delivers the right level of performance in conjunction with the rear wing.

Mercedes has made a small change to the camber of the outer floor fence compared to Bahrain, a subtle change but one the team hopes will improve airflow passage to the underbody and diffuser.

Meanwhile, the rear wing has been modified to better suit the high-speed characteristics of the Jeddah course, with the trailing edge of the upper flap mid-section (blue arrow) trimmed backwards, while the endplate cutout panel has also been modified to incorporate a section with full span.

This is a design solution that first appeared at the Alpine in Saudi Arabia last season, and Mercedes subsequently introduced its own version as it arrived at lower downforce locations.

In this case, the team also has another option (inset, red arrow) that also involves trimming back the trailing edge of the tip section.

Looking to continue their impressive start to the season, Aston Martin modified both the front and rear wing to meet the challenges of the Jeddah circuit.

In both cases, the trailing edge of the upper flaps has been trimmed to reduce downforce and drag, and to compensate for these front-to-back changes.

In line with the changes to the rear wing, along with an adjustment to their chord length, there are also changes to the beam wing layout with a reduced angle of incidence.