Monaco is Formula 1 at its slowest. Nowhere else are the speeds so low, and therefore nowhere else are the wings on the cars so large. In Monaco, aerodynamic efficiency and top speed are worth little to nothing. So the teams put on whatever they can – and sometimes design absolutely gigantic rear wings.
In 2024, all ten teams will have enlarged rear wings. This includes Haas, where this high-downforce package has often fallen victim to financial constraints in recent years. Motorsport-Magazin.com took a detailed look at the ten Monaco packages in the pit lane on Friday.
RedBull makes the well-known rear wing design steeper and lower, up to the limits permitted by the regulations. The world championship leaders also have a beam wing in their luggage that also pushes the limits. As is usual in Monaco, the front brake cooling is also enlarged in order to achieve sufficient cooling effect even when the air flow is slow. And the cover of the upper front wishbone has a small edge so that the car can easily reach the maximum steering angle required in the hairpin.
At Mercedes There is actually a general update, namely a new front wing. The team has dispensed with the trick of halving the upper element and instead extended this part to the nose. The nose fairing is also different, and the other elements and their attachments have also been reshaped. Only George Russell has this part on his car.
Furthermore, the inner underbody volume has been increased. At the rear, Mercedes has increased the angle of attack of the rear wing and beam wing. The lower element is now pulled almost to the end plate, instead of bending upwards as with the standard wings. It is also flatter than Red Bull’s. The upper element is pulled forward at the tips and differs from the competition in this respect.
With the big Imola update Ferrari almost everything has been rebuilt, so only the rear wing is being modified in Monaco. Both elements are more similar to the Red Bull than the Mercedes, with more bend. Ferrari does not have a Monaco beam wing.
Like Ferrari McLaren only recently brought out a major update and is only rebuilding the rear wing and beam wing in Monaco. Both are set more sharply like the competition. The upper element curves downwards at the ends, unlike Ferrari and Red Bull.
And also AstonMartin only swaps the rear wing and beam wing in Monaco. Similar to McLaren, the upper main element curves downwards at the ends. On the AMR24, it curves much more aggressively – not just downwards, but also inwards.
At Alpine In addition to the Monaco parts, there is a very small update in the bag. The guide elements behind the halo on both sides of the cockpit have been rearranged to get better airflow to the rear. In terms of Monaco, Alpine is the next team that has to rearrange the front suspension fairing to get through the hairpin.
In addition to a rear wing and beam wing, the team also has a front wing optimized for more downforce. This is intended to maintain the aero balance better in conjunction with the larger rear wings. However, both the rear wing and the beam wing are relatively flat compared to those of the competition.
Williams looks significantly larger compared to Alpine. The bends of the lower main element up to the end plate are quite aggressive here, and the connection between the end plate and the main element looks almost pointed. Williams also has a beam wing in its luggage, and enlarged front brake cooling shafts.
The Racing Bulls also has three Monaco parts: A visually average enlarged rear wing is complemented by an enlarged beam wing and an enlarged front brake cooling system. There is also a small update that is not relevant to the track. The profiles of the front suspension panel have been changed slightly so that the air flow coming from the front wing does not come loose so easily.
Clean has five high-downforce modifications. The rear wing is interesting because it also changes the concept: it is now only mounted on one central pylon. The predecessors all had two. The new one is intended to form the conceptual basis for further developments. The end plates also follow a new path. They are no longer connected to the upper main element. A path that the entire field has now actually taken.
The version of the parts mounted here is only Monaco-specific. Further developments in this wing concept direction are only likely to appear later in the season. Apart from that, Sauber has adapted the beam wing, front suspension fairing and front brake cooling to Monaco.
At Haas They are celebrating having finally got a high downforce package up and running. Team boss Ayao Komatsu was already full of praise before the weekend. Larger rear wing, larger beam wing, larger brake cooling. Haas is also the only team to have changed the cooling gills on the engine cover for more airflow.
