McLaren MP4-23 - slit in front wing flap 05 August 2008
In addition to the new nosecone winglets that McLaren debuted in Hungary, the team also introduced this change to the rearmost flap of the front wing. It may be more subtle than the winglets, but is actually more important in terms of airflow management. In truth, the two revisions work in tandem. The slit (inset) in the middle of the flap helps to extract the air passing underneath and then to direct it towards the upper wishbones of the front suspension at an angle of around 30 degrees. That airflow is then diverted horizontally by the winglets on the nose. The higher negative pressure that the slit generates under the wing helps to improve the sharpness of the car's front-end handling.
