McLaren and Red Bull to experiment with different rear wing configuration in Abu Dhabi

Having dominated the Qatar Grand Prix, Red Bull and McLaren appear to apply a similar approach to the season finale in Abu Dhabi by using two very different rear wing configuration at the Yas Marina Circuit. F1Technical’s lead journalist Balazs Szabo delivers his latest analysis.

The Abu Dhabi weekend brings the curtain down on the longest ever Formula 1 season, during which the sport travelled the world taking in 24 rounds. To date, the Yas Marina circuit has hosted motor racing’s blue riband category 15 times, twelve of them rounding off the year

As for the track layout, the track has been famous for its stop-and-go nature. However, it went through significant changes in 2021, which has made the 5.281 kilometre track much faster and flowing, with several overtaking opportunities.

In general, the forces exerted on the tyres are in the medium to low range, because of the lack of high speed corners. The surface offers little grip and its level of abrasiveness is average for the season.

Ferrari are set to use a medium-downforce rear wing at Abu Dhabi, with a convex-curved main plane and a fairly steep upper plane.

By contrast, Mercedes appear to have elected to use a similar downforce level at the back of the car, but their rear wing produces the downforce in a different way. While the main plane appears to have a more pronounced spoon-shaped section, the upper flap section looks less steep than Ferrari’s one.

McLaren and Red Bull are on a different route compared to Mercedes and Ferrari as both the Woking and the Milton Keynes based outfit have brought two very different rear wing to Abu Dhabi.

The opening day saw Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen try out the more loaded rear wing configuration while Lando Norris and Sergio Perez ran the less loaded version on Friday.

McLaren’s more loaded rear wing features a mainplane sporting a fairly deep central section and a steep almost V-shaped leading edge that feeds out towards the endplate. The steep flap features a V-shaped cut-out in the central section while its tip section’s leading edge is more rounded.

By contrast, the less loaded rear wing features a completely different mainplane and flap. The mainplane sports a semi-circular notch in the central section and the outer portion is tapered less toward the endplate.

The flap is reduced in chord, and does not feature any cut-out while its tip section is rectangular.

Interestingly, while Red Bull also have two different rear wings, both versions share a raft of common features. Both configurations have a spoon-shaped mainplane, with the less-loaded assembly featuring a less pronounced central section.

The flaps are similar in terms of tip section design, but the less loaded version is slightly reduced in chord and sports only a moderate V-shaped cut-out in its central section.