Germany Tech Corner: McLaren Rear Wing

There’s an interesting addition on the endplates of the new rear wing, where there are now two rows of ‘fins’ (called canards, circled in red). Each canard produces a vortex and these vortices create a lower pressure at the back of the car, contributing to more downforce. These canards also lead to a higher quality diffuser too – due to the canards being directed upwards, creating upwash.

The most eye-catching addition is the serrated gap between the mainplane and the flap of the rear wing (circled in yellow). These ‘bumps’ are called Tubercles, and are seen in nature on a humpback whale, which is where the idea has originated from. Scientists were baffled at how a whale that weighed over 30 tonnes could have such incredible agility, this was down to the Tubercles - as a smooth surface was originally taken for granted that it was optimal. However, after researching the concept, airfoils with Tubercles bumps are much more efficient at producing lift and better at resisting stalling. So after developing the concept, this has now found its way onto an F1 car. The sinusoidal pattern creates breaks in the airflow – splitting the wing wake into smaller vortices, giving a lower pressure and crucially less drag.