Alexf1 wrote: ↑16 Sep 2024, 11:19
Could this explain the RB20s sudden drop of pace (and top speed) advantage?
Absolutely, a lot more realistic than the differential brake.
those ground effect cars have a huge problem: the center of pressure of the floor moves backward as the air speed increase and the car suffer form under steer
actually there are two way to mitigate this problem:
controlling the ride height (and the rake) with a clever suspension (RB and probably Ferrari in 2024, after Miami RB-Ferrari relative performance remain unchanged with Mclaren ad Mercedes catching up)
with a flexible front wing (Mclaren and then MB): actually i haven't understand if the flexible front wing compensate the under steering generating more load thanks to the wing tips closer to the ground or they actually control the air flux going under the floor