Mercedes add intrigue with innovative F1 rear wing

The final day of F1 pre-season testing, as expected, proved particularly rich in technical developments.

The teams, by and large, introduced several modifications to their cars from the very start of the third test, and the final day was no exception.

Mercedes, with Kimi Antonelli at the wheel, fitted a revised rear wing to the W17, featuring changes in at least two key areas.

The new specification included updated endplates characterised by a markedly sinuous design, with the upper edge flaring outwards.

This solution is aimed at improving airflow management in the region where the outermost lateral section of the flap remains fixed — namely, around the pivots of the active aerodynamic mechanism.

In that same area — between the fixed portion of the flap and the initial section of the movable element — the team introduced a small aerodynamic tab, approximately two centimetres high.

This element was fitted with a Gurney tab on its trailing edge. The additional surface is not simply about increasing rear load. It is also designed to better control airflow in a zone where it becomes particularly dense and sensitive.

The objective is twofold. Firstly, to ensure variations in airflow density do not compromise straight-line drag reduction. Secondly, to allow a less abrupt rise in rear load when the flap closes, smoothing the transition between low-drag straight-line running and the higher-downforce cornering configuration.

It is worth noting that, despite these profiles extending beyond the height of the flap's trailing edge, they remain fully within the FIA's prescribed aerodynamic volumes.

The excess height of clearly defined wing sections, therefore, sits comfortably inside the regulatory framework.

The same principle applies to the inverted flap rotated by 270 degrees, shown by Ferrari on the second day of the session.

With that configuration, the central section of the flap sits higher than the normal trailing edge position, but still within the volumetric allowances permitted by the regulations.