Williams: F-duct for Monza a no-brainer
Williams technical director Sam Michael is baffled why rivals teams are unsure about their plans to run the F-duct at Monza this weekend - because he thinks it a 'no-brainer' to keep it on the car
A number of leading outfits have spent the last few weeks evaluating whether or not to keep the F-duct on for the Italian Grand Prix.
McLaren initially planned to remove it for the first time this season, but is now likely to run back-to-back tests on Friday to work out which is best, while Ferrari, Renault and Red Bull Racing are all keeping their options open.
The low-downforce nature of the Monza circuits means there is much less drag for the F-duct to remove for a straight-line speed boost, and keeping it on the car can provide a penalty in terms of aerodynamic efficiency down the straight.
However, Michael thinks that the boost provided by an F-duct at Monza more than makes up for any disadvantages - which is why his outfit has never wavered from its plan to run it.
"I don't really understand why there is an F-duct issue [for Monza]," said Michael. "On the Monza wing we've got, there is a massive drag difference. I don't know why you would never do it.
"There is this debate that as you take drag off, it becomes less of a delta. That is true, but it is still a stalled wing so if the wing stalls then it stalls - for us it is a no brainer. I think everyone will run it."
Scuderia Toro Rosso is the latest team close to introducing its F-duct, with the outfit scheduled to evaluate its design in a test at Vairano in Italy today.
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