Waché Reveals Red Bull’s 2024 Challenge with Flexi-Wings

Red Bull’s dominance faltered in 2024. Waché details how rivals used flexible wings to gain an aerodynamic edge over the team.

The end of Red Bull’s dominance became evident in 2024 as the year progressed, with rivals like McLaren F1 introducing upgrades. Thanks to wings with greater flexibility, other teams gained an edge over Red Bull by achieving better suspension balance, as explained by Milton Keynes’ technical director, Pierre Waché.

“We had another aspect of the car that allowed us to rebalance it,” Waché admitted. “We benefited from this for two years. Others introduced this front wing deflection to balance their cars, and in that regard, they are now ahead of us. We could rebalance the car through other means, while the other teams used the flexibility of the front wing.”

“To achieve a different aerodynamic balance depending on speed, you need a certain suspension movement, and the softer you are, the better. It’s good for balance but perhaps not for downforce. Their front wing allowed them to rebalance a much stiffer suspension.”

Red Bull initially hesitated to develop its own more flexible wing, uncertain about how far to push the concept: “It was more than just waiting. We were trying to question them because we needed to understand where to go, as we had a slightly different view of what was allowed.”

The FIA’s decision to approve this technology came too late for the team to respond effectively: “The budget cap is one aspect. The overall resource aspect is another. We worked on it, but we also have to develop two cars for 2025 and 2026. It’s a resource limitation: money and people.”

Now, Red Bull is developing a wing offering some flexibility for 2025 and its RB21, with Waché hoping for gains in car usability: “The visible difference isn’t what I’m looking for. I’m aiming for a wider balance window.”