The first step towards the 2019 Formula 1 season were taken in the 2018 Hungaroring in-season test with Force India and Williams testing the much-talked new front wing.
The current one is said to be one of the most complex features on a F1 car which only makes it difficult for others cars to even follow. The Strategy Group along with the FIA and F1 approved the changes and simplification for 2019.
In fact, three changes were fixed for 2019 to help in overtaking, which are: 1) Simplified front wing, with a larger span, and low outwash potential, 2) Simplified front brake duct with no winglets and 3) Wider and deeper rear wing.
The first two teams to test the wing in the Hungaroring test are Force India with Nicholas Latifi and Williams with Oliver Rowland. As can be seen, the width of the wing is nearly matching the width of the car on whole – done to limit the dirty air flow levels in the rear.
Force India’s Andrew Green had earlier said: “The front wing is key to everything that gets set up further down the car, so changing that is a big step, so we want to make sure we are developing in the right direction.
“So, we are bringing parts after Hungary just to confirm that. It’s an interesting set of regulations that’s for sure. I’m not sure that it’s a pretty set of regulations, but it is interesting.
“It [less downforce] is a significant chunk. We hope to battle our way out of it by the time we get to the beginning of next season, but yeah, it is a significant change.”
https://twitter.com/WilliamsRacing/status/1024198393697067008
It was later revealed that even Red Bull Racing with Daniel Ricciardo in the car did an installation lap with its design of the 2019 front wing.
