However, against the backdrop of the cost cap and the arrival of a regulation set that’s delivered a vastly different car, there was a sense that teams might have to redraw their battle plans for 2022.
In the end, there was a split approach for how teams opted to attack the Italian Grand Prix – and it was interesting that the eventual winner had perhaps the most conservative design.
Red Bull, like many others, bucked the usual trend in coming up with a Monza package. Instead it opted to use the lower downforce wing used at the likes of Baku and Spa.
Red Bull Racing RB18 beam wing comparison
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
As it also did at those races, it also opted to reduce its downforce levels by running with just the one beam wing element.
Red Bull did at least trial a drag-reducing option though, as Sergio Perez was tasked with testing the same wing, albeit with the trailing edge of the upper flap trimmed back (main image, yellow highlight).
The solution was quickly discarded though as the DRS oscillation issues that dogged the squad throughout the back end of 2021 once again reared their head.
As the team went into qualifying, the extra downforce it was carrying might have been perceived as a penalty around Monza. However, this proved not to be an issue for Red Bull, as the RB18 has not only proved to be quick in a straightline all season, even when carrying more wing than rivals, it has been able to make up time in the traction zones too.
The team had also decided to set Max Verstappen’s car up with the race in mind, rather than qualifying, knowing it had to account for a power unit penalty.
Running with more wing not only helped it protect the tyres and extend its first stint, it also provided it with a larger DRS delta when it did need to pass its competitors, while also being beneficial for qualifying.
Ferrari F1-75 rear wing detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Ferrari F1-75 diffuser with flow-vis paint
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
A one-off livery was not the only trick that Ferrari had up its sleeve for its home race, with the Scuderia employing a low downforce rear wing that we’d already seen tested at Spa.
What wasn’t trialled, even though it was available at the time, was the single beam wing element that the team installed to help reduce downforce and drag for the challenges posed by Monza.
The wing itself is a simple development of the design used by Ferrari throughout the course of 2022, with the spoon-shaped mainplane…
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