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F1 | Aston Martin: tail wing will be seen again but more robust
The Silverstone-based team, working on the kinks in the technical regulations, introduced at Zandvoort a curious flap fitted to the rear deformable structure. The clever solution increases the effect of air extraction from the rear diffuser, but the micro-flap has shown some failure during track use and pit stop testing, so a more robust version will be seen later.
The idea has not been aborted, quite the contrary. The tail wing has not been aborted, but will be produced in a more robust version. Aston Martin at Zandvoort presented a curious aerodynamic solution that was seen on Friday in free practice and then abandoned due to a failure.
The small bowtie-shaped element mounted slightly cantilevered below the rear light was part of the aerodynamic package that was introduced on the AMR23 in the Dutch GP, as the intention was to increase the efficiency of the rear diffuser by placing a small device in a novel area.
The problem is that the tail wing, as it has been nicknamed, interacts with the rear lift for the pit stop. The Silverstone team's engineers had already intervened by modifying the usual jack, which is made of carbon, with a new metal structure that did not include the 'cradle' that housed the deformable structure, acting as a stop to any rearward movement of the single-seater during the tyre change.
The tail wing, however, proved too fragile and was not seen again over the Dutch weekend. Some had thought of a rejection, while Tom McCullough, Aston Martin's development director, explained that the solution was not permanently parked:
"The one seen at Zandvoort was just an experiment to see on track whether aerodynamically it would produce the efficiency we saw in the wind tunnel. Unfortunately the deliberate solution was not strong enough for track use, so we decided to remove it as a precautionary measure, but we will revisit it and correct it."
McCullough admitted that it was a flap that was thought up a few months ago in the folds of the regulations and was not seen until Zandvoort because it was necessary to modify the car's rear lift so that it could raise the car without damaging the profile or slowing down the pit-stop manoeuvre.
The idea that has certainly aroused a lot of curiosity in the paddock will not be abandoned, but will be revived as soon as a version of the tail wing capable of withstanding the stresses on the track is ready. But we won't have long to wait...
