F1 tech: Which setup is the best to be fast at Monza?

As F1 comes back to Italy for the last European race of the 2023 calendar, teams are bringing specific aero packages to make their cars fast around the so-called “temple of speed”. In fact, the Monza layout is in a category of its own for how atypical it is: very long straights, heavy breaking points, slow and twisty chicanes and some famous fast corners like Ascari, Lesmo and Parabolica. For this reason, teams always bring specific wings and setups to adapt to this unique circuit; let’s see what choices have been made this year.

Red Bull, McLaren and Aston Martin set to test different rear wings

Red Bull, Mclaren and Aston Martin are all bringing two different wing specs to be tested on Friday in the first practice: on the one hand, Red Bull has adapted the low downforce rear wing by cutting the DRS plane and adding a Gurney on the trailing edge; this change should allow the car to be faster when the DRS is closed (so both during the race and in the straights where DRS is not used) and the nolder should prevent flow separation, ensuring stability under braking and traction. However, they also brought the normal version used in Spa and Miami, mainly because RB19 is such an efficient car that Red Bull can even use this wing without losing too much in the speed traps, having monster tyre management in the race and a lot of speed in the fast corners. 

On the other hand, McLaren and Aston Martin have decided to try both a medium-low downforce rear wing and a Monza-specific rear wing. However, everything will be up to a compromise, whether to be quick in the straights and losing time in the corners (and have a lot of tyre degradation on Sunday) or have a better tyre management but risking to be easily overtaken during the race. As seen during the first half of the season, McLaren should use the lowest downforce rear wing, since drag has been a problem for them since the first race in Bahrain, while Aston may have more choice since they have quite an efficient car (even if not at Red Bull’s level). 

Ferrari and Mercedes ready to reach the highest speeds 

Whilst others have decided to make some tests, Mercedes and Ferrari have only shown the extreme low downforce rear wing: the German team brought the same spec they used with Lewis Hamilton (who has just re-signed his contract today) in Spa, which should provide high top speeds and a good car balance; also Ferrari opted for the same wing they used last year in Monza on the F1-75, that is a super efficient wing with a very skinny main plane and a bigger flap, which should allow the team to be fighting for pole on Saturday and for a good place in the race (Leclerc’s words seem promising). 

In conclusion, the top teams have arrived in Monza with the goal to set their cars in order to be fast in the straights without compromising the tyre management, which is key for winning the race on Sunday. Only the practices will be able to give us an idea on who made the best choice, waiting for a weekend full of passion and fun to begin.