A MATTER OF BALANCE
In order to balance overall downforce, some cars were fitted with front wings that generate less load.
Ferrari thus reverted to a front wing spec featuring two flaps instead of the three-element update introduced in Sochi earlier this year (compare yellow arrows). However, the Scuderia has not returned to its initial model, given that the two flaps have been modified while the fin that sat on the inside of the endplate has been removed (see orange arrows). What’s more, the upper flap has been trimmed down in a bid to increase top-end speed (see blue arrows).
Both Red Bull outfits also proceeded in a similar way, though the end result is more or less refined. Toro Rosso roughly cut part of the upper flap on the STR11’s front wing. Red Bull, for its part, took a thin layer off the same flap but had two different designs: Daniel Ricciardo’s RB12 featured a Gurney Flap, while team-mate Max Verstappen’s car did not.