F1 News
'Different rear wing for Verstappen should neutralise Mercedes' advantage'
- GPblog.com
The battle between Mercedes and Red Bull Racing is going strong. In the final stages of the season it seems that Mercedes has the advantage on the fast circuits like Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Red Bull are doing everything they can with their current equipment to get the most out of the car.
The Italian branch of Motorsport.com reports that Red Bull is trying to surprise their rivals with an alternative rear wing. This wing was introduced on Max Verstappen's car during FP2 on Friday in an attempt to neutralise Mercedes' top speed advantage.
Red Bull is going all out to make things difficult for Mercedes according to the site. Neither of the title rivals will be coming up with technical improvements this late in the season, so they will have to get everything out of the current material.
Big difference in rear wing in practice sessions
Where Mercedes is driving with a thicker rear wing, Verstappen drove in FP2 with a completely different wing compared to FP1. The rear wing would create less drag thanks to a spoon shape and an adjustment on the side of the wing. Also, the ribbed profile is no longer used, which should provide an advantage in the slow corners.
The difference in top speed between Mercedes and Red Bull was four km/h during FP2. Mercedes, however, did not drive with full power yet. Red Bull expects to solve the problems with the temperature of the tyres when the circuit of Jeddah has more rubber, so it will be exciting who actually has the fastest car.