Three teams took the plunge in making modifications to their cars, with Alfa Romeo becoming the seventh F1 team to modify its rear wing endplate to feature an upwashing swage line on the external face.
It is a design that was first implemented simultaneously by Aston Martin and Alpine at the start of the season. Since then, Williams, McLaren, AlphaTauri and more recently Mercedes have all added their own spin on the feature – with Alfa Romeo the latest to join the camp.
Aston Martin may have been one of the first teams to appear with the solution, but its design was shorter than many of its competitors. The swage line terminated a considerable distance short of the endplate’s trailing edge.
Alpine, on the other hand, stretched its swage line across the entire span of the endplate.
Williams introduced its version in Melbourne. The team from Grove appropriated a similar design to the one seen on the A523, with the swage line extending further back towards the trailing edge of the endplate.
AlphaTauri updated its rear wing arrangement at the Monaco Grand Prix with an extensive overhaul of the entire assembly, but notably its version of the swage line also appeared, while McLaren also arrived at Monaco with a new rear wing endplate featuring contouring in the lower half to help promote upwash.
Mercedes made the necessary changes to its endplate at the Japanese Grand Prix, with the Silver Arrows opting for a variant that turned back down towards the trailing edge, rather than continuing to ascend.
These swage lines are not the only area of interest for the teams when it comes to their rear wing assemblies though, as all have started to look for ways to increase how much downforce can be generated while also being mindful of any additional drag that will be generated.
Having been at the head of the queue when it comes to adding the external endplate swage line, Aston Martin added to its arsenal with a similar feature on the internal face in Monaco.
Source: Autosport