Red Bull has frequently enjoyed a top speed advantage in qualifying, up to 5mph, when drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez can activate their DRS on the main straights.
Engineers have relayed to Autosport that they suspect this potency is derived from running a larger rear wing surface to increase drag. This then produces a greater DRS benefit.
Red Bull compensate for this by deploying a much lower drag - sometimes one element only - beam wing to match rivals and their two-tier beam wing system for straight-line efficiency.
McLaren appears to be working to replicate this with the revisions it has made to its MCL60 for Spa. While it will still rely on a double element beam wing, new offloaded geometry will trade load from the beam wing to rear wing main place to reduce aerodynamic load and drag.
In addition, the team has devised a modified rear wing endplate to further reduce the main plain's loading and introduced two different trims to the trailing edge of the rear wing flap element to further help reduce drag and load.
The emphasis from the rest of the grid - aside from Mercedes' more sweeping upgrades and revised sidepods - has been on introducing new wings to better adapt to high-speed Spa.
But Alpine has worked to bring a revised floor alongside its lower-downforce front wing. The new floor fences, ‘canoe ramps’ and smoother diffuser wall should all improve load.
Source: Autosport