Italy tech blog: Monza packages are unique

Monza is a classic circuit, but it is an anachronistic and unique one thanks to its high-speed layout.

Its long straights and curves demand low downforce and powerful engines. While Spa is also a low downforce track, at Monza straightline speed is king. This means teams continue to develop Monza-specific packages with tiny rear wings and simplified aero set-ups.

Teams will reduce downforce as much as possible in order to shed the drag associated with it. To do this the teams will start with the shallowest rear wing that they can afford to run.

It's often braking stability that is aided by the rear wing's downforce as much as the ability to tackle the fast corners. With the rear wing downforce level set, the rest of the aero will be tailored to balance the car.

This involves trimming load from the front wing and the removal of less efficient aero add-ons.

Red Bull mastered its low-downforce spec at Spa © XPB

RED BULL

Following the success of its Spa aero package, Red Bull carried much of the car's set-up over to Monza, where the car has looked very fast during practice.

The full-length rear wing is still set at a very shallow angle and at the front, the wing has been further simplified.

Both cars tested different front wing set-ups, the basic front wing being tried with both a cutaway flap and with the cascade winglets removed.

Interestingly, the front flap was cut away in front of the tyre rather than at its innermost tip.

Lotus tried both long and short wheelbase variations © XPB

LOTUS

Lotus brought its highly-anticipated long wheelbase package to Monza.

As this isn't a Monza-specific set-up, there were only enough parts for one car and Kimi Raikkonen ran the revised version in the opening practice sessions.

The team has decided not to continue with the LWB package this weekend, but it is expected to return for later races, where the improved handling and aerodynamics will offer greater rewards than at Monza.

Aside from the from the suspension, nose and floor changes on Raikkonen's car, both Lotus E21s ran an extreme low downforce rear wing package.

This Monza-specific wing sports two tiny elements, the mainplane being less than half the length it usually is, making it nearly as small as the rear flap. Indeed the wing is so short, that the DRS pod overhangs the front of it.

This is mated to a simplified beam wing, which is also shorn of its usual Y75 winglet.

Despite the skinny wing set-up, the drivers did test a small additional wing element mounted low down ahead of the beam wing. This was discarded after the first runs in the morning.

Balancing the low downforce rear end, the front wing had the usual treatment of smaller flatter flaps and the cascade elements being narrowed to around half their usual width.

Ferrari had different ideas for its aero package at home © XPB

FERRARI

Ferrari committed early to a new iteration of its front wing, in which the usual wing was shorn of its large cascade winglet.

The front tyre wake management role usually achieved with this winglet is now completed by two simple vertical fins.

Each of these will create vortices that will reduce the drag and turbulence of the rotating front tyre.

Counteracting the simpler wing was the return of the undernose chin, which has been off the car since mid-season.

Other than the front wing, both cars split their set-up between different low drag rear wing and sidepod specifications.

Mercedes has a Monza-only rear wing © XPB

MERCEDES

Like Lotus, Mercedes has produced a Monza-only rear wing assembly.

But unlike Lotus its version is a major departure from the usual set-up, with the top rear wing, endplates and beam wing all being very different.

Firstly, at the top there is a short chord rear wing, almost as extreme as the Lotus version.

The small amount of drag still created by this wing is partly managed by two small slots in the top of the endplate to negate the wing tip vortices.

The endplate also features another large slot to encourage effective airflow through the wing and twist rake to manage the airflow passing up the outside of the wing.

The bottom of the beam features a new and twisted profile. It is steepest in the slotted middle section, leaving the outer sections nearly flat.

Counteracting this low downforce rear end Mercedes continues to run a front wing with a full complement of cascade elements and merely uses smaller flaps to reduce its downforce.

Sauber has new parts not necessarily Monza-focused parts © XPB

McLAREN

McLaren ran a package very similar to the one it used at Spa, with the cars also trying a cascade-less front wing for the afternoon session.

SAUBER

As at Spa two weeks ago, Sauber's front wing ran with the new cascade arrangement.

Replacing the old complex trio of winglets with a simpler winglet with turning vanes merged into its vertical mountings.

It's possible this new part is an end of season development and not aimed solely at Monza.