Front Wing & Rear Wing

The front wing is the first part of the car to meet the air, shaping how much downforce the front axle gets and how the airflow is directed toward the rest of the car, including the floor and rear wing behind it. The rear wing does the same job at the back, and is also where DRS opens a flap to cut drag on straights.

Balancing the two matters as much as the total amount of downforce: too much rear wing relative to the front and the car resists turning in (understeer); too much front relative to the rear and the rear can step out under braking or mid-corner (oversteer). Teams adjust wing angles between sessions to chase that balance for the specific circuit.

Because the front wing sets up the airflow for everything downstream, damage to it (a common result of wheel-to-wheel contact) tends to cost more overall performance than its size would suggest: it's not just losing front grip, it's disrupting the whole car's aero.