Spoons always had a purpose of reducing the wing tip losses, even when there were classic endplates for rear wings, with or without louvres. Losses occur on the wing tip due to pressure equalisation. However, endplate louvres also had a small downforce benefit, while actually reducing drag, so teams rarely chose to use spoon wings since wing tips could actually drive the louvres harder for bigger benefit.
I think you want it neutral could be wrong, though I imagine this gives you choice to set up for either option if it leads to optimum lap time.
Vanja #66 wrote: ↑02 Mar 2023, 12:22Spoons always had a purpose of reducing the wing tip losses, even when there were classic endplates for rear wings, with or without louvres. Losses occur on the wing tip due to pressure equalisation. However, endplate louvres also had a small downforce benefit, while actually reducing drag, so teams rarely chose to use spoon wings since wing tips could actually drive the louvres harder for bigger benefit.
With the ban of top side of endplates, wing tip losses are now huge if you choose a deep and flat wing aerofoil. To reduce the losses, you reduce the downforce (and drag) at the wing tips so you are now utilising this new feature instead of fighting it like a nuisance. Also, and this is important, by raising the tips as high as allowed by the rules, you effectively increase the side surface of your endplates which is helpful in yaw.
Merc's spoon design is their own design choice, they seem to be running a very thick and high camber aerofoil to get the pressure distribution they are aiming for. Ferrari's wing seems to use very thin aerofoils on the contrary, while RB is somewhere in between in my view.
It seems to be their preference to use the maximum allowed surface of the wing. They likely found some gains with slight lateral expansion (like diffuser) as you said.atanatizante wrote: ↑02 Mar 2023, 14:26https://postimages.org/
https://postimages.org/
Had I not wrong on Merc`s car with these prolonged wing tips they are trying to increase the diffuser expansion? Or they just wanna divert or act like a skirt of the rear tyre wake not to mess with the former?
Thanx again Vanja for your quick and detailed answer!Vanja #66 wrote: ↑02 Mar 2023, 14:29It seems to be their preference to use the maximum allowed surface of the wing. They likely found some gains with slight lateral expansion (like diffuser) as you said.atanatizante wrote: ↑02 Mar 2023, 14:26https://postimages.org/
https://postimages.org/
Had I not wrong on Merc`s car with these prolonged wing tips they are trying to increase the diffuser expansion? Or they just wanna divert or act like a skirt of the rear tyre wake not to mess with the former?
George's car on the right looks to be fitted with the original RW. Likely they'll do tests in FP1 with both drivers and make a decision for the rest of the weekendorganic wrote: ↑02 Mar 2023, 14:03Merc still with this front wing in the paddock despite the switch to the lower rear wing. I guess they'll just back off the flaps
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FqNpFyyXgAI ... &name=orig
There are ample reasons to run both wings for comparisons in FP1, I wouldn't take it as an indication of them still considering which wing to run. Mike Elliott was pretty clear that they're gonna run a different wing than testing.icantride wrote: ↑02 Mar 2023, 15:08George's car on the right looks to be fitted with the original RW. Likely they'll do tests in FP1 with both drivers and make a decision for the rest of the weekendorganic wrote: ↑02 Mar 2023, 14:03Merc still with this front wing in the paddock despite the switch to the lower rear wing. I guess they'll just back off the flaps
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FqNpFyyXgAI ... &name=orig
Unless conditions are significantly different than last Saturday (or other stuff on the car has changed) then why run both wings between George and Lewis in FP1? That isn’t a direct question to you as such, just a thinking out load kinda moment. Surely that have the relevant data on the barn door from 5 days agostonehenge wrote: ↑02 Mar 2023, 15:42There are ample reasons to run both wings for comparisons in FP1, I wouldn't take it as an indication of them still considering which wing to run. Mike Elliott was pretty clear that they're gonna run a different wing than testing.icantride wrote: ↑02 Mar 2023, 15:08George's car on the right looks to be fitted with the original RW. Likely they'll do tests in FP1 with both drivers and make a decision for the rest of the weekendorganic wrote: ↑02 Mar 2023, 14:03Merc still with this front wing in the paddock despite the switch to the lower rear wing. I guess they'll just back off the flaps
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FqNpFyyXgAI ... &name=orig
That being said, hypothetically, if they are considering running such a high df wing in Bahrain, it would probably not bode well for their concept (especially the floor). So, let's wait and see, but I'm pretty sure they're running both wings just for data and aren't actually considering using it because that would be...well, not great.