FIA approves Ferrari's radical rear-wing design for 2024
Formula 1's governing body, the FIA, has ruled Ferrari's novel rotating rear-wing design as legal. The concept, which creates lift to cut drag, represents a fresh approach to DRS and benefits from new technical regulations encouraging drag-reduction innovation for 2024.
The FIA has given its initial approval to Ferrari's innovative rear-wing concept, confirming its legality under the 2024 Formula 1 technical regulations. The design, which features a unique 270-degree rotating slot gap mechanism, was tested by Lewis Hamilton during pre-season running in Bahrain. Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has indicated the radical solution could be used in Grands Prix, pending further development and reliability checks.
Why it matters:
This ruling validates a significant aerodynamic innovation and signals the FIA's current permissive stance on drag-reduction solutions. With new regulations aiming to improve racing by allowing more design freedom for overtaking aids, such approvals could lead to a wider variety of competitive concepts across the grid, potentially shaking up the aerodynamic development race.
The details:
- The radical design differs from a standard Drag Reduction System (DRS). Instead of simply opening a flap, the entire slot gap section rotates through 270 degrees to create an opening, functioning more like an aircraft wing to generate lift and drastically reduce drag.
- Ferrari tested two versions in Bahrain: the new rotating design and a more conventional DRS-style opening. The team reverted to the conventional design after initial runs with the radical concept.
- FIA Single-Seater Technical Director Nikolas Tombazis explicitly stated the governing body has "encouraged solutions that reduce drag" for 2024, which is why stricter DRS gap limits from 2023 were not maintained.
- Tombazis confirmed the FIA's position, stating, "the Ferrari solution, we believe, is okay," providing crucial regulatory clarity for the team and its rivals.
What's next:
The approval clears a major regulatory hurdle, but the wing's race debut depends on Ferrari's confidence in its reliability and performance gains under all conditions.
- Other teams will now analyze the concept and may develop their own interpretations, leading to potential copycat designs or alternative innovations within the new regulatory freedom.
- Its use could become a strategic variable, deployed on high-speed circuits where minimizing drag is paramount for overtaking and defending.