Mercedes and Red Bull Racing are on the opposite sides of the F1 spectrum in terms of their current racing standards. While RB are on a roll with unreal dominance, the Silver Arrows appears to be picking up the pieces following a disaster in current ground effects development.
That being said, Red Bull hasn’t been necessarily invincible this F1 season as rivals are closing the gap in the front field. And Mercedes haven’t given up on hope for a brighter future. Hence, ahead of the iconic Monaco Grand Prix, both rivals turned up with a few track specific upgrades to optimize the most of the exciting circuit layout.
Red Bull, Mercedes Installs New Rear, Beam Wings For Monaco Grand Prix
The Monaco Grand Prix is ideally one of the most prestigious and demanding races on the F1 calendar. The circuit’s tight, and twisty layout means more action in wheel-to-wheel racing. Hence, given the demanding nature of the circuit, Mercedes and Red Bull were able to offer a couple of track-specific upgrades. RB, under threat after McLaren’s fightback, introduced a new rear wing that fits into the dimensions of the regulation box. The upgrade package also includes a new beam wing to help with the stability around slow corners. Notably, RB witnessed several issues with rear stability in Imola, where Max Verstappen barely managed to keep Lando Norris at bay as the gap was reduced to just 0.7 seconds.
On the other hand, Mercedes increased the volume of the rear and beam wing chamber to adjust to Monaco’s slow circuit corners. Additionally, the Silver Arrows added more volume to the inboard part of the floor just ahead of the tunnel to enhance downforce volume. Besides the rear wing, Mercedes also made some changes to the front wing. A bigger flap chord has been attached to balance the increased range of W15. Moreover, the outward end of the front wing has a revised geometry design to enhance vortex power and improve wheel wake control. In addition to Red Bull and Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari, and Aston Martin also introduced new rear and beam wings to address the track-specific needs of the Monaco Grand Prix. It remains to be seen how these changes react on the track, especially under wet conditions, as rain is likely to interrupt the race weekend.
Lewis Hamilton Calls For Changes To Address Monaco GP’s Snoozefest
Ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton has voiced his concerns on an uneventful race weekend. Hamilton said during the media day that Monaco circuit hasn’t changed in many decades and with the cars getting bigger, it’s impossible for drivers to overtake without the risk of collision.
While Lewis Hamilton understands that widening the track is impossible due to lack of space, he called for special tyres for the race to make it more eventful or else face the risk of fans falling asleep in the main race on Sunday. “I would say that maybe having special tyres. So you have more pit-stops, create more variability,” Lewis said.
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