The cutting edge

Racecar Engineering’s aerodynamics guru examines the role, function and effects of single-seater front wings and explains why they are about so much more than just generating downforce

- SIMON McBEATH

When wings first appeared on open-wheel racing cars in the late 1960s the aerodynamic package generally comprised of simple, single element rear wings and front wings. In some instances, especially where the rear wings were modestly sized and mounted above or even forwards of the rear axle, the front wings were tiny, sometimes just small dive plane-like devices. But as the understanding of wings and their preferred locations improved so too did the size and importance of front wings.

They were not initially ubiquitous, though, and the full-width nose, perhaps best exemplified by the Tyrrell 006 that took Jackie Stewart to his third and last world championship in 1973, obviously worked well enough to the prevailing regulations. But front wings soon became pretty much universal.

Half a century’s evolution now sees some very complex, beautifully crafted and, from the sidelines, hard to fully understand devices in regular use in Formula 1. Meanwhile, front wings outside F1, even where restricted by technical regulations, have become better understood and well developed in many categories.

Fine balance

There are some universal aspects to single-seater front wings, the most crucial being that, as well as (typically) developing a significant proportion of a racecar’s total downforce, they also enable that downforce to be suitably distributed between the front and rear axles so that the handling balance changes as little as possible through the speed range.