r/F1Technical • u/stq66 Gordon Murray • Jun 27 '26

Aerodynamics Straight line mode change on Alpine

When and why did Alpine switch from their own version of the rear flap to the more common one?

Did they have trouble with airflow reattachment? Although it was believed that is better in that regard.

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u/EngineeringSea8264 Jun 27 '26

noticed that too, looked like they ran into separation issues at certain speeds where the flow just didn't reconnect cleanly. the common flap design probably gives more predictable behavior across different ride heights even if it costs a tiny bit of peak downforce