Red Bull Bending Wings

Red Bull has come with a cheeky innovation this season, which has made controversy in the grid this year. What is that and how it is helping them in the race? In the Spanish GP, It is noticed that the rear wing of RB16B was bending horizontally at straights. This can be observed in the below video.

Source: formula1

How does this help?

So by bending, the wing height has reduced as a result the drag and downforce are reduced as well. Which decreases the road loads in straights as a result the acceleration of the car is high making the car help attaining high speed quickly and easily.

Does this comply with the rule?

Yes, the wing has passed the flexibility test which is done before the race. Which states that Bodywork may deflect by no more than one degree horizontally when a load of 1000N is applied. Which is just a small case testing, Because and F1 can generate up to 30,000 N of downforce of which more than 25 percent comes from the rear wing. that is equal to 7,500 N. Since the deflection, load has a linear relation in carbon fibre structure, the deflection is directly proportional to wing load, But it is said that RB16B engineers have clearly played a game in this area, where they managed to design a structure that out rule the linear relationship.

               Source: The Race

So at loads, more than 1000 N the wing doesn't comply with the linear relationship, thus making the car look legal at the same time taking benefits out of it. But another area the car doesn't comply with rules was " No cars should not be equipped with any active aerodynamics compound except Drag reduction System". But it is still unclear, whether bending will be considered same as moving, because active aerodynamics have moving components and is actuated by driver or computer, which is not the case of bending. 

How will Fia overcome this cheeky innovation?

We will see it in the next blog, have a nice day.