
Giorgio Piola's F1 technical analysis
Revealed: How Red Bull added flavour to its F1 rear wing
If you had to describe the Red Bull RB16’s rear wing as a flavour until this point in F1 2020, it would have been vanilla, such was its simplicity when compared with far higher degrees of complexity elsewhere on the grid.

However, Red Bull unveiled a new rear wing for the Styrian Grand Prix that comprises no less than four new flavours, as the team takes note of what the competitors have got.
The new wing features four trademark design aspects that have appeared on endplates elsewhere on the grid, with the most obvious of those being the sinuous louvres found on the outer hanging strakes which first appeared on the Haas VF-19 (below left) in Germany last season. The serrated cutouts found in the upper rear corner of the endplate was a design also introduced by Mercedes (below right).

Haas F1 Team VF-19 rear wing detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Mercedes AMG F1 W10 rear wing detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
The front upper corner of the endplate now shares some DNA with AlphaTauri, as it has folded the surface inwards (below left). This is a design decision that was also assimilated by Alfa Romeo during 2019 too, as it altered the rear wing’s drag-to-downforce ratio (below right).

Toro Rosso STR14 rear wing detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Alfa Romeo Racing C38 rear wing detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
The team has also added a number of upwash strakes, a feature seen on most of the cars up and down the grid and that helps to tie in the various flow structures that are now being created by the new aerodynamic features of the rear wing endplate.
Read Also:
Red Bull hopes that the addition of this new rear wing will not only help to counter the top speed advantage that Mercedes held over them last weekend but also stabilise the rear end, which was noticeably twitchy on occasions.
While Max Verstappen was the only Red Bull driver to use the new nose solution last weekend, it appears that both have it available now.

Red Bull Racing RB16 front wing Austrian GP
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Related video

Verstappen has "much better feelings" than previous Friday
What’s at the heart of Mercedes’ recent gearbox trouble?

Latest news
Rolex 24, Hour 1: MSR Acura leads, BMW in trouble early
Tom Blomqvist led the opening hour of the Rolex 24 at Daytona aboard the Meyer Shank Racing Acura, as BMW became the first of the GTP manufacturers to hit trouble.
Diriyah E-Prix: Wehrlein defeats Dennis to complete double win
Pascal Wehrlein completed a Diriyah E-Prix clean sweep, sharing a 1-2 with Jake Dennis once again to take the Formula E championship lead.
Johnson on Button running NASCAR Cup races: "I think I can talk him into it"
2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button will get his first taste of NASCAR with the Garage 56 entry at Le Mans, but it may not be his last.
Jenson Button joins NASCAR Garage 56 Le Mans 24 driver lineup
Jenson Button has been revealed as part of the driver lineup for the Garage 56 entry that brings NASCAR back to the Le Mans 24 Hours for its centenary race in June.
Why Vasseur relishes 'feeling the pressure' as Ferrari's F1 boss
OPINION: Fred Vasseur has spent only a few weeks as team principal for the Ferrari Formula 1 team, but is already intent on taking the Scuderia back to the very top. And despite it being arguably the most demanding job in motorsport, the Frenchman is relishing the challenge
The crucial tech changes F1 teams must adapt to in 2023
Changes to the regulations for season two of Formula 1's ground-effects era aim to smooth out last year’s troubles and shut down loopholes. But what areas have been targeted, and what impact will this have?
Are these the 50 quickest drivers in F1 history?
Who are the quickest drivers in Formula 1 history? Luke Smith asked a jury of experienced and international panel of experts and F1 insiders. Some of them have worked closely with F1’s fastest-ever drivers – so who better to vote on our all-time top 50? We’re talking all-out speed here rather than size of trophy cabinet, so the results may surprise you…
One easy way the FIA could instantly improve F1
OPINION: During what is traditionally a very quiet time of year in the Formula 1 news cycle, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been generating headlines. He’s been commenting on massive topics in a championship that loves them, but also addressing necessary smaller changes too. Here we suggest a further refinement that would be a big boon to fans
How can McLaren keep hold of Norris?
Lando Norris is no longer the young cheeky-chappy at McLaren; he’s now the established ace. And F1's big guns will come calling if the team can’t give him a competitive car. Here's what the team needs to do to retain its prize asset
What difference did F1's fastest pitstops of 2022 make?
While a quick pitstop can make all the difference to the outcome of a Formula 1 race, most team managers say consistency is more important than pure speed. MATT KEW analyses the fastest pitstops from last season to see which ones – if any – made a genuine impact
When F1 'holiday' races kept drivers busy through the winter
Modern Formula 1 fans have grown accustomed to a lull in racing during winter in the northern hemisphere. But, as MAURICE HAMILTON explains, there was a time when teams headed south of the equator rather than bunkering down in the factory. And why not? There was fun to be had, money to be made and reputations to forge…
What Porsche social media frenzy says about F1’s manufacturer allure
Porsche whipped up a frenzy thanks to a cryptic social media post last week, and though it turned out to be a false alarm, it also highlighted more just why manufacturers remain such an important element in terms of the attraction that they bring to F1. It is little wonder that several other manufacturers are bidding for a slice of the action.
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.