No concerns over F1’s late switch to taller rear wings for 2019

2019 F1 season

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Formula 1 technical chiefs say plans to raise the height of rear wings next year will not cause significant problems for their designs.

Plans to raise the rear wing height for the 2019 F1 season have been discussed in order to improve drivers’ visibility in their rear view mirrors. F1 agreed in April to introduce wider front wings next year, despite opposition from some teams over the effect this would have on their car designs for next year.

However Ferrari technical director Mattia Binotto says the late change to rear wing heights should not pose a similar problem.

“You cannot change the regulations if there is not unanimity from all the teams. Indeed the teams have accepted it means that somehow we are able to manage and to deal with the change.

“So it’s not something that is imposed, it’s something that we are discussing through the technical working groups and we are all agreeing through our vote. It has been accepted so whatever change, accepted or not, means that we are accepting, we are able to do this.”

The teams and the FIA had considered other ways to tackle the problem of limited visibility from the mirrors, as Haas’s head of aerodynamics Ben Agathangelou explained.

“That particular example is just one of many in the way that exchanges happen between the teams and the FIA and actually, with respect to the rear wing in particular, although it was quite late, there was a fair amount of discussion that preceded it that indeed investigated alternative ways of increasing visibility, like reducing the rear wing box height.

“There was a general consensus that because development had been underway, we were dealing with a wing that fit a particular box and the fact that it shoots up by 50mm isn’t a game-changer, so the maturity, if you like, that precedes a decision is fair and we’re all familiar with that, we’re all party to that.”

The last change to F1 rear wing heights was in 2017, when they were lowered by 150mm. Next year’s rear wings will also become wider and deeper.

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7 comments on “No concerns over F1’s late switch to taller rear wings for 2019”

  1. We’re almost back to the 2009-2016 aero rules…

    1. @toiago Nowhere near to that yet, LOL. Still, quite a bit to go to reach similar rear wing size to those seasons.

  2. When it comes to the rear ring size, I, of course, get what becoming ‘lower’ and or ‘wider’ means, but what exactly does ‘deeper’ in this context mean? I don’t really get it. What does a rear wing becoming ‘deeper’ mean precisely?

    1. Longer distance from leading edge of the wing, to the trailing edge of the wing.

  3. I’d prefer the rear wings to remain low as I think they look far better than the taller wings seen from 2009-2016.

    In terms of visibility through them, I don’t ever remember it been an issue when the wings were lower in the past when they also had other elements underneath the main one as well as various flaps & winglets on the sidepods & ahead of the rear wheels.
    https://www.racefans.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/barr_hond_silv_2008.jpg
    https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Lewis_Hamilton_2007_Britain_3.jpg

    Visibility also didn’t really look too bad from the Glasses-Cam shots they have used earlier in the year.
    https://screenshotscdn.firefoxusercontent.com/images/57aa42a1-e458-4fd2-8df6-6bb654ccd739.png
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWQfiTCQews

    1. I agree lower wings look better, but taller wings usually means more overtaking so I’m fine with it

      1. @paeschli

        but taller wings usually means more overtaking

        Not necisarily, When they made the wings taller in 2009 there was no more overtaking than there had been with the lower wings in 2008.
        https://i.redditmedia.com/JkQYXyq6N2NkFDFr46SPD8bEyKxjP3-hwUTPBHuSHq8.png?w=1024&s=404bfb74d6a15c340de20050a9d8f546

        Indycar runs low rear wings as does GP3, F2, F3 & all other single seat/open wheel categories & they all feature lots of overtaking.

        the tall rear wings look awful, did from 09-16 & will next year, horrible proportions and do nothing for overtaking. i guarantee there will be no more overtaking with teh tall rear wings and they will go back to better looking lower ones in 2021 when they see this.

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