T-wings. We know what they are by now but we are getting bored of the single element devices – we want more! Clearly F1 heard us as five teams took a new variant of the mini wing to the streets of the principality.
We have already looked at Sauber’s lower hooped wing so let’s dissect the other offerings from Force India, Renault, Red Bull and Haas.
Haas (above) were one the early adopters of the T-wing and have gone on to produce a hooped version for Monaco. Red Bull (top image) are new to the party but have also gone down this route too, albeit with slightly extended endplates and paired with a small delta-shaped piece of bodywork balanced across the top of the engine cover. Hooping the wings weakens the tip vortex, reducing the interaction with the rear wing vortices behind while bolstering downforce slightly.
Force India (above) and Renault (below) became the first teams to come up with a triple-element T-wing – this is essentially a hooped T-wing with another aerofoil element sandwiched in between. The middle element has a lower attack than the upper and lower winglets and is very much acting as a conditioning device to even out the wake behind.
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