Watching F1 and dreaming about what to work on for the car this winter and wondering about a vertical plate along the spine of the rear body work. It appears that to varying degrees the F1 cars have a 2-4" (less on Red Bull, more on Ferrari) vertical plate coming out on top of the air intake all the way to the back down the centerline of the car. I assume this increases lateral air resistance in turns and smooths the air flow but haven't been able to find any definitive information.
Any thoughts on what function this piece serves and benefits for our cars?