Red Bull commits to new Monaco-specific high downforce F1 rear wing

Although the demands of the tight and twisty Monte Carlo street circuit make it an obvious place to bring the highest downforce specification possible, the restrictions of the cost cap mean that not all teams elect to produce parts in that range.

Many prefer to stick with a solution that is not as extreme but is suitable for some of the other medium to high downforce venues – as that is the more cost effective approach.

But Red Bull knows that the margins against McLaren and Ferrari are tiny right now, so has committed investment into a wing that is perfect for Monaco's specific requirements.

As the above photograph shows, the mainplane and top flap of the new wing both take up much more of the allowable box region, with a tight radius used to connect the mainplane and endplate at their juncture.

The flap tip section is also suitably cranked to work in the conjunction with the upper flaps angle of attack, whilst the latter has a sizeable Gurney mounted on the trailing edge too.

To offset the downforce being generated and being mindful of the drag that this new specification poses, Red Bull has added a V-shaped notch in the central section, whilst also maintaining the semi-detached tip section layout of their other wings.

Red Bull Racing RB20 technical detail

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Although the rear of the car has remained hidden for now, there will undoubtedly be a new beam wing arrangement to complement this.

World championship leader Max Verstappen has found himself under increasing pressure from his rivals in recent races, with his pole position advantage at Imola last weekend being less than one tenth of a second.

In the race, he found himself struggling to keep temperature in the hard tyres that teams switched to for the second stint – which left him exposed to a late challenge from McLaren's Lando Norris.

This tight confines of weekend’s Monaco GP track put a premium on qualifying positions, which is why Red Bull knows that it cannot leave any performance on the table if it is to secure the critical pole position spot.