Analysis - Shanghai tech round-up

Many teams are planning their first major upgrades for the start of the European leg of the season. That doesn’t mean, however, that developments aren’t being constantly added to the cars. Here’s a trio of highlights from China, courtesy of renowned technical illustrator Giorgio Piola...

Haas VF-16 - front wing update

The front end of Haas’s first Formula One car boasted a revised wing configuration for China, with a new upper flap section (arrow) featuring a very different shape compared to that seen on rival teams’ machines. The VF-16 also had a new monkey seat on its rear wing.

Toro Rosso STR10 - revised rear wing

The Italian team introduced a new rear wing design for the lower downforce demands of the Shanghai International Circuit. Gone is the previous monkey seat (left inset) in the wing’s lower section, while the flap now has an S-shaped rear trailing edge, without the gurney flap seen on the wing used in Australia (top inset).

Red Bull RB12 - serrated front wing

On Friday in China the former champions trialed a front wing featuring a serrated trailing edge on the last two flaps, similar to that which Mercedes debuted at last year’s Japanese race. The experimental design was not used in Saturday practice and qualifying.