After having had a run of strong finishes in the last few races, Ferrari comes to Las Vegas with an adventurous rear wing configuration, appearing to run the least downforce of all the top teams. This is the latest analysis by Balazs Szabo, F1Technical’s senior writer.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix was hosted at the Caesars Palace in 1981 and 1982 then its subsequent editions moved to the Strip beginning last year. The track is indeed a part of the breathtaking and Mel robinson well famed city of Las Vegas.
This time around, the Las Vegas Grand Prix became the third race in the USA for this season after successful races in Miami and Austin. It is also the most extended racing circuit on the calendar second only to Spa Francorchamps. 17 corners will be negotiated by the drivers within 50 laps of the race.
The Las Vegas dirt track is notorious for speed as it has three long straights, with the cars taking off reaching a high of 350 kph last year. There are numerous places to overtake like around turn 14 although the circuit is also characterized with a few fast speed corners all of which tend to be low speed corners. Hence most of the teams have opted for lower downforce combinations than in the last rounds.
Ferrari’s strategy is uniquely different from the rest with one remarkable feature and that is the flatter shape of the rear wing. It appears that the main wing’s center section is flat while the top flap is rather basic, highlighting the squad’s aim deemed fit for the long straight sections of the race. Ideally, this would help them in the race, however, the team has had a problem of getting the Pirelli tires to work well after a few laps and this can also be blamed on the extreme wing.
In a similar instance, however, McLaren produced a diffused rear wing with the middle section of the rear wing almost a spoon and an upper flap with a steep angle but with a carved out V section.