Gary Anderson suggests Mercedes spent just £500 to gain 0.2s with ‘impressive’ Monaco GP upgrade

Follow us on Google Discover

Gary Anderson has praised Mercedes for their rear wing update at the Monaco Grand Prix, having gone to greater lengths than any rival to utilise F1 banning straight mode.

Formula 1 has decided not to designate any straight mode zones for this week’s Monaco GP, essentially forcing teams to lock their set-ups into corner mode throughout the entire event. It is the first, and possibly sole time, that F1 has banned straight mode since its introduction.

F1 introduced straight mode, which activates the moveable aerodynamic parts on the front and rear wings, as part of the regulatory overhaul this year to improve straight-line speed. But F1 decided that Monaco’s lack of any long straights means straight mode is not needed.

The jewel in the crown is upon us! Who’s your pick for the Monaco Grand Prix? 👑

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

Gary Anderson says ‘well done’ after seeing Mercedes’ Monaco Grand Prix rear wing upgrade

Having to run fixed front and rear wings for the entire Monaco GP weekend has seen several teams take advantage of F1 banning straight mode to introduce special rear wing upgrades, with Mercedes, McLaren, Red Bull, Racing Bulls, Audi and Cadillac modifying their actuators.

READ MORE: F1 experts predict the Monaco GP, from pole to Ferrari’s race win chances

Mercedes have been the most ambitious with their Monaco-special rear wing, having added an array of aero devices in place of the normal actuator to open the straight mode slot. They have a trio of cascading winglets connected to the main pylon, plus a further winglet on top.

Anderson is very impressed with Mercedes’ solution compared to the likes of Red Bull, who have only added two small winglets to their standard actuator. The former Jordan technical director also suggests that Mercedes’ version could be worth 0.2s per lap, while their rivals are only expecting to gain hundredths of a second around the Principality with their designs.

He told The Race: “Is such a tiny development really worth it, both in lap time and financial investment? Financially, with current 3D printing machines, this sort of component – once optimised in CFD and modelled for manufacturing – would probably cost £250 to £500.

“Assuming that it is all working as planned, I would suggest that as it will help rear-end stability under braking, which is critical for Monaco generally, it would add probably a few kilograms of extra rear end downforce.

“The teams are playing down the importance of this area of development and some suggest it’s only worth a few hundredths of a second. Those hundredths all add up, but overall I wouldn’t be surprised to see upwards of a two-tenths-of-a-second-per-lap improvement from the Mercedes design.

“So, if that all works out, it will be the cheapest two tenths of a second that any team could bring to the show. So, well done to all at Mercedes.

“The others have various different, smaller-scale interpretations of the same theme, and that’s why they are probably playing down the potential lap time improvement. It’s the Mercedes package that I am most impressed with and for sure it has the biggest potential for performance gains.”

Will F1’s 2026 regulations deliver more overtakes in Monaco, or is the circuit past saving?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

F1 teams have been able to introduce special rear wings at the Monaco GP this weekend, as the regulations only specify legality boxes for the actuator to engage straight mode. So, with F1 banning the DRS-esque element of straight mode for one race only, teams like Mercedes have removed their actuators to utilise the space left in a bid to generate more downforce.

McLaren have created the most similar design to Mercedes’, with the MCL40 sporting three long winglets on the main pylon and two smaller winglets at the rear. But McLaren’s design does not go into as much detail as Mercedes’, which has multiple elements on each winglet.

It remains to be seen how much of a difference each team’s interpretations proves to make around the streets of Monte Carlo. It also remains to be seen whether or not Mercedes can use their design to address Toto Wolff’s fear that Ferrari will be faster in Monaco this week.