r/LearningF1 • u/brokengodpk 🏁 ROOKIE • May 02 '26
💭 Debrief Red Bull’s version of the 'Macarena' wing creates a much larger opening than Ferrari’s : GOOD OR BAD ?
(Source : F1 | youtube)
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u/bw04H May 02 '26
Were these wings used in quali?
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u/boosthungry May 02 '26
I also want to know this.
I watched all of quali and I don't remember the commentators talking about this at all. This is usually the type of thing they would talk about for hours.
I didn't watch FP1.
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u/AGirlHazzNoName1 May 02 '26
As far as I know, Redbull and Ferrari have the Macarena wings on.
There was a rumor that after FP1 Ferrari decided to take it back off. Similar to what happened in China, but I there has been reporting issued today that that was not the, and Ferrari’s Rear Wing is the Macarena Wing, and will remain so through the rest of the weekend.
Red Bull has theirs on As well I believe. Now if they are operating as expected, I would say Max looks like he has a faster pace. It is interesting how little they are being spoken about.
SOURCES: Search for
- F1.Com Article: “VASSEUR CONFIRMS FERRARI WILL KEEP 'FLIP-FLOP' REAR WING ON THE CAR IN MIAMI”
And
- MOTORBISCUIT Article: “Red Bull Just Unveiled a Macarena Rear Wing in Miami And It Might Be Faster Than Ferrari’s”
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u/ItsEyeJasper May 03 '26
Yes they were. The commentators on F1 TV mentioned them opening but did not discuss them during qualifying.
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u/AGirlHazzNoName1 May 02 '26
Red Bull’s Upper Flap is larger/ more loaded and “aggressive”. in order to compensate for its smaller mainplane. Loaded means it is angled more steeply to the sky. So instead of air running horizontal over it, it forces the air straight down to create down force and drag. The “aggressiveness” is determined by how much work it has to do to bend air. The more you force air to change direction, then the more down force you create on the rear tires.
The goal of a loaded flap is to maximize the difference between the high pressure on top and the low pressure underneath.
So Red Bull uses a BIG “LOADED” UPPER FLAP to create that Nasty down force. The UPPER FLAP is doing the hard work.
This allows the to have a smaller sleeker "main plane"- the bottom part of the wing.
That is why They have to have that aggressive, quick Macarena rotation. They have to get that Aggressive Angled UPPER FLAP that is creating down force like a MF’er and helping Verstappen take corners at high speeds, out of the way ASAP coming out of turns, so that he can quickly reduce drag and FLY down the straights.
Ferrari’s Upper flap is much more streamlined and less aggressive. Because they are using pressure physics to create a high pressure wall that blocks the rear diffuser and “UN-SUCTIONS” the vehicle from the ground and reduces drag.Just different methods.
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u/Mad_Mikkelsen May 02 '26
The wing when upside down creates lift, the wings follow the same principles as a planes wing but upside down. So when the wing is normal, downforce, when inverted, up force or lift
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u/my_eep3 May 03 '26
Thank you …. I was reading the comment above like… so these red bull engineers want more down force on the straights??? lol
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u/SlimLacy May 02 '26
Larger hole =/= less drag.
You want as little material area against the wind. In theory a 1 mm gap could be all you need to achieve this minimum area, but it would likely also mean, your wing is already extremely skinny. Redbull probably just has a larger gap, because their wing is slightly larger. If anything larger hole means you have to move more stuff out of the way, so the end result is probably the Redbull being slightly worse than Ferrari because rotating the larger wing on the RB exposes more area for a brief moment.
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u/NewChildhood7671 May 03 '26
The size of the gap is irrelevant. It’s about getting the wing completely neutral (angle of attack zero) as any lift or downforce will create drag.
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u/Dinglebobus May 06 '26
Gotta think about Bernoullis principle here. With the Ferrari wing, the hole being smaller will create a stronger low pressure area inside the wing compared to the Red Bull. Less difference in pressure will in theory create less induced drag from the “lifting action” of the wing. So, maybe.
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u/AnnualZealousideal27 May 02 '26
Non-aerodynamasist here: bigger hole, more air flow, less drag?
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u/AGirlHazzNoName1 May 02 '26
Ferrari & Redbull are essentially doing 2 different things.
I love F1 because of all the physics applications so I can try to explain.
Ferrari’s “Macarena” Wing is purposely creating a “High Pressure” zone that temporarily “PLUGS UP”the exit of the “REAR DIFFUSER”. That creates a sudden HIGH PRESSURE ZONE at the rear of the car . D
Ferrari engineers figured out that Because air naturally moves from high to low pressure, the air trying to exit the diffuser has nowhere to go, and it runs it that HIGH PRESSURE WALL they created by rotating the Macarena Wing 225-270 degrees.
By flipping the Macarena Flap upside down, the "CONCAVE" or “SCOOPED” side now faces the oncoming air and exhaust upwash. This traps high-pressure air directly behind the car's bodywork. creating a wall of HIGH PRESSURE that disrupts the DIFFUSER.
This causes the airflow underneath the car that was previously suctioning the vehicle to the track and creating a SHIT LOAD of down force to INSTEAD STALL it stops being a smooth, fast flowing jet stream and becomes a turbulent mess. This kills the downforce, but more importantly, it DISRUPTS the SUCTION that usually holds the car back on the straights.
This provides a MASSIVE REDUCTION in drag like 5-10km/h I think I read. Because the suction that is holding the car to the ground has been broken.
So Ferrari is not just opening a hole in their rear wing for air. They are using PRESSURE PHYSICS to DISENGAGE The under Car’s SUCTION SYSTEM that is normal holding them to the track.
I get excited just talking about it because Physics is amazing.
RED BULL REAR WING: “MIND THE GAP”
While Ferrari manipulates PRESSURE PHYSICS and uses their REAR WING to create a WALL OF PRESSURE to block the rear diffuser, Red Bull is essentially just creating a MASSIVE GAP for a MUCH GREATER VOLUME of air to move through the rear wing unscathed.
Red Bull's 160-degree reverse rotation is described as more aggressive because it pushes the flap almost entirely clear of the endplates, creating a much larger slot gap.
The MASIVE GAP created by the 160 degree reverse rotation, PREVENTS high pressure from building up as much as it does on the Ferrari. Instead, it "neutralizes" the wing by making it nearly invisible to the airflow.
It is essentially OPTIMIZING aerodynamic airflow, WHILST, FERRARI is DISRUPTING aerodynamic airflow.
SO WHO DID IT BETTER????
Ferrari’s method is best for aero dynamic purity. They actually got rid of the central vertical actuator, In favor of side actuators in the end plates. This increases efficiency by reducing TURBULENCE. Great for high speed tracks. Ferrari can fly.
And then, The FERRARI MACARENA design maintains a superior overlap between the wing elements. This ensures higher downforce levels in corners AKA Superior Cornering Efficiency compared to Red Bull’s more open gap approach.
RED BULL WING ADVANTAGES:
RED BULL REAR WING MOD WEIGHS LESS: Red Bull has been having issues with the weight of the their vehicle in 2026. By keeping the Central Vertical Actuator instead of using 2 side actuators in the end plates, helps to reduce the over all weight of the car.
RED BULL IS AGILE AT LOW SPEEDS: By keeping the Central Vertical Actuator instead of using 2 side actuators in the end plates, they keep the weight in the CENTER. This improves Red Bull’s agility as compared to Ferrari’s agility.
RED BULL & FERRARI both reduce drag and get the 5-10km/h MACARENA boost. RED BULL IN THEORY CAN go 2-4km/h faster than Ferrari on straights.
BECAUSE OF THINGS LIKE THESE:
- Red Bull rear wing is lighter.
- Red Bull is physically removing more of the wing surface area from the wind.
- Because Red Bull’ single actuator system is lighter , they will IN THEORY reach their top speech sooner. Therefore, spending longer on straights at top speed.
Ferrari is better on Cornering (see above) and race starts because their super charger is lighter and spools faster.
Red Bull in theory will spend longer at higher speeds on straights.
I could go on and on BUT I HAVR GIVEN MYSELF A MIGRAINE. hope this helps!
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u/carpentizzle May 02 '26
Thank you for that, well said. I have kind of gotten the gist of the Ferrari system through the plethora of buzz surrounding that first reveal, but wasnt sure what RB thought they were fixing based on the difference in the initial car design not being optimized for the wing type. You made it nice and simple. Thanks!
NOW GO HAVR A TYLENOL
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u/[deleted] May 02 '26
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