In the Monte Carlo paddock, Mercedes Benz et Red Bull On Thursday, they unveiled two new rear wing solutions, specially designed to compensate for the ban on active aerodynamics at the Monaco circuit. This exceptional decision by the FIA confirmed that the “Straight Mode” system introduced this season would not be used in the Principality due to a lack of sufficiently long sections and for safety reasons.
Since the introduction of the new 2026 regulations, Formula 1 cars have featured movable aerodynamic elements at the front and rear to reduce drag on the straights. In Monaco, where average speeds are the lowest on the calendar and walls are ubiquitous, teams must revert to fixed configurations that maximize downforce.
Grey area or shadow zone?
It was in this context that Mercedes presented the most radical solution. The Brackley-based team removed the actuator usually used for active aerodynamics and replaced it with a series of four small aerodynamic profiles designed to generate more downforce at the rear. Red Bull adopted a different approach, retaining the system’s outer fairing while adding two additional “monkey seat” elements, an architecture rarely seen for several years. Formula 1.
Mercedes ©DPPI
Red Bull ©DPPI
The objective is the same: to recover some of the aerodynamic downforce lost when the active system is deactivated, while simultaneously improving the cars’ agility in the slow corners and changes of direction characteristic of the Monaco circuit. Historically, Monaco has always pushed engineers to design specific, high-downforce wings, sometimes unique for the entire season.
At this stage, Classic Ferrari for sale Mercedes did not feature such a visible modification to its rear wing. It remains to be seen whether the boldness of Mercedes and Red Bull will translate into a significant time gain on the championship’s most atypical circuit.
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