From the nose to the wing…

Both front and the rear wing have been affected by changes:

The front wing got narrower with a reduction from 1.800mm to 1.650mm wide. The reason for that was to reduce the number of punctures caused by an endplate catching the rear tire of a competitor’s car. This change of almost 150mm may sound small but it has massive implications on the aerodynamic of the car.

Each front wing endplate has moved inwards by 75mm, placing them almost directly ahead of the front tires which is a tricky problem for aerodynamicists trying to control airflow across the car, not least because tires are constantly changing angle. 
Whereas last year’s wider wings meant that most of the airflow could be directed around the tires and then down the car, 2014’s narrower wings mean that a portion of air will have to be directed between the front wheel and the chassis before joining up with the rest of the airflow behind the tire.

To look back in time in terms of aerodynamic, the front wing has been changed A LOT. Last two years, the wing had to be set lower every season. This meant that at high speed or under braking (when the nose of the car dives), the front wing can be touching the ground and this is very bad for both aero and for creating sparks, which will alert that the wing is not its normal position relative to the chassis.

Another wing change is the rear wing flap that has to be shallower and beam wing is not allowed anymore! Beam wing creates an area of depression that helped the diffuser in extracting air under the car.

These changes mean that the rear wing will be capable of producing less downforce in 2014 than it did in 2013, something that will be most noticeable at high-downforce tracks.

Teams are still trying to get as much rear downforce as possible and most of them use more aerodynamically-profiled rear suspension parts. This is nothing new - teams have been doing it for some time - but some will no doubt try to be even more inventive in this area. One of these rear suspension parts is the “pushrod-suspension”.

A final note to the rear wing change: the DRS flap can now open as wide as 65mm, 15mm wider than last year. This should ensure that the DRS remains an effective overtaking aid in this new era.