Ferrari F1 "Macarena" Rear Wing CFD

Overview

F1 rear wings utilize an adjustable flap (DRS) to reduce aerodynamic drag during straightaways. During the 2026 F1 season, Ferrari introduced an active-aero "Macarena Wing" that rotates up to 230 degrees to flip upside down, significantly stalling airflow to boost straight-line speed. 

For my ME495 Aerodynamics final project, I worked in a group of 3 to model and perform CFD analysis on this rotating mechanism. We characterized the intense loads, pressure differentials, and turbulent aerodynamic behavior during this actuation.

• Primary Software: OnShape, Ansys SpaceClaim, Ansys Fluent

• Key Focus Areas: drag reduction systems (DRS), Von Karman vortex shedding, transient CFD analysis

CAD Model

• Goal: Create a fluid domain representing the 3-element rear wing for CFD simulation.

• Execution:

  • Modeled the 3D simplified rear wing full assembly in OnShape.

  • Designed the three individual rear-wing components using specific NACA profiles: 7412 for the mainplane, 4412 for the middle flap, 6409 for the top flap.

  • Extracted the 2D airfoil profiles into DWG format and generated static global and rotating fluid domains using SpaceClaim.

Steady-State CFD Analysis

• Goal: Quantify the exact drag reduction and downforce penalties across 3 fixed-wing states at a 65 m/s inlet velocity.

• Execution:

  • Element sizing: 1e-4 m near airfoil edges to improve boundary layer and pressure gradient resolution, 5e-4 m on outer fluid domain edges to balance computational cost with solution accuracy away from airfoil

• Results:

  • Unopened Configuration: Generated 2105 of downward force and 427 N of drag.

  • Mid-Actuation (130°): Downward force dropped to 1176 N, but drag spiked significantly to 740 N. This temporary spike occurs because the upright rotating flap acts as a vertical bluff body and airbrakes against the airflow.

  • Fully Inverted (230°): Successfully reduced drag to just 65 N, while downward force settled at 612 N. This validates the drag-reduction strategy for straight-line speed when the inverted configuration is used.

Transient CFD Simulation

• Goal: Capture the chaotic flow, turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), and pressure fluctuations that occur during the physical rotation of the Macarena wing.

• Execution:

  • Configured a sliding-mesh transient simulation in Ansys Fluent where the mainplane remained fixed within the global domain, while the middle and top flaps rotated together within a refined rotating fluid domain.

  • Applied a pressure-based K-Omega SST model over a 3-second simulation time. We used 0.003s time steps to capture as high-fidelity flow separation as we could.

  • Vortex Shedding: We observed aggressive Von Karman vortex shedding in the wake when the flap hit the perfectly perpendicular position. The alternating shedding of separated shear layers produced strong periodic vortices.

  • Structural Loading: We characterized massive transient structural loading and intense pressure disturbances during the movement phases. This proved that the mechanism undergoes extreme hinge moments before reattaching flow and settling into the low-drag inverted configuration.