Aston Martin will continue to work on its mini spoiler

Formula 1 is also about these little evolutions, the search for performance through marginal gains. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.

pas la seule responsable. En effet, les ingénieurs ont sous-estimé les turbulences générées par cet aileron et leur impact sur la stabilité de la voiture.

« The aerodynamic design team came up with this idea several months ago, » stated Aston Martin’s Director of Performance, Tom McCullough, regarding the mini wing positioned under the rear impact structure of the AMR23 during the tests at Zandvoort. This unprecedented evolution turned out to be a failure, but the track is not solely responsible. Indeed, the engineers underestimated the turbulence generated by this wing and its impact on the car’s stability.

however not abandoned.

« It was just an experiment to see if, from an aerodynamic point of view, the device was generating the expected suction in that area. […] Unfortunately, it wasn’t reliable enough on the runway. Therefore, as a precautionary measure, we have decided to remove it for now », explains the British engineer.

« Exploit all the small areas of the regulation »

Actually, Aston Martin has encountered durability issues with this new part. Firstly, the entire question was to adapt the car lifting system during pit stops. Normally, the jack used is placed under the impact structure, but with the small wing in that position, the AM teams had to rethink their equipment.

Unfortunately, this new wing tended to break, which is why it was not kept for race day at the Dutch GP. « It was cracking. So we decided to remove it. It was more of a test element, part of the updates, to try and exploit all the little areas of the regulations that allow you to get as much performance as you can. », acknowledged McCullough, who also assures that the team will « look for a more robust solution. »