Tag: Technical Updates

Technical updates: 2023 Italian Grand Prix

Nine of the 10 Formula 1 teams have brought new parts to the Italian Grand Prix, with a number of specific adaptations for Monza’s unique characteristics. The high-speed circuit requires a low-downforce setup, and as such the majority of teams have …

Nine of the 10 Formula 1 teams have brought new parts to the Italian Grand Prix, with a number of specific adaptations for Monza’s unique characteristics.

The high-speed circuit requires a low-downforce setup, and as such the majority of teams have upgrades that are solely for those requirements. The biggest number of submissions is from McLaren, with a new front brake duct scoop a performance update while the front wing, rear wing and rear brake duct winglets are all circuit specific for the drag range.

Red Bull’s front and rear wings are also circuit specific, while Ferrari lists its rear wing as a performance update alongside the Monza setup front wing. Mercedes has a new rear wing and beam wing configuration for low drag, and Alpine similarly has brought only a beam wing.

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Alongside its Monza rear wing, Alfa Romeo has an updated front suspension geometry that it counts as a performance update, while AlphaTauri has a front wing and beam wing as well as having removed elements from the rear brake duct and rear view mirrors to reduce drag.

Aston Martin has a front wing and Williams a rear wing that are each circuit specific with reduced drag. Haas is the only team that doesn’t have any new parts, running its Baku-spec wings in Italy.

Technical updates: 2023 Dutch Grand Prix

Aston Martin has brought the most significant update to the Dutch Grand Prix, with floor and diffuser changes as it targets second place in the constructors’ championship. Starting the season as the second-quickest team behind Red Bull, Aston had …

Aston Martin has brought the most significant update to the Dutch Grand Prix, with floor and diffuser changes as it targets second place in the constructors’ championship.

Starting the season as the second-quickest team behind Red Bull, Aston had faded slightly prior to the summer break and has failed to score a podium in the past four races. But at Zandvoort it is introducing a new floor –comprising the floor body, floor fences and floor edge — aimed at increasing overall downforce. That update is also coupled with a new diffuser.

Red Bull has a new beam wing this weekend as its only upgrade, but Mercedes continues its own push with tweaks to the floor edge, sidepod inlet — specifically the mirror stays to improve airflow and performance of the rear wing — and beam wing.

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Only two other teams have performance upgrades, with Haas aiming to solve its race pace woes with some new parts. That includes a new front wing and nose assembly, while there is a circuit-specific change to the rear brake ducts for cooling purposes.

At AlphaTauri there are new rear wing endplates which increases efficiency, while McLaren has a rear wing and beam wing tweak that is specific to the demands of Zandvoort.

There are no new parts listed for Ferrari, Alpine, Alfa Romeo or Williams.

Technical updates: 2023 Belgian Grand Prix

Mercedes has the biggest upgrade at the Belgian Grand Prix as many teams have made circuit-specific changes ahead of the summer break. The race at Spa-Francorchamps will be the final one before a mandatory two-week shutdown of team factories, with …

Mercedes has the biggest upgrade at the Belgian Grand Prix as many teams have made circuit-specific changes ahead of the summer break.

The race at Spa-Francorchamps will be the final one before a mandatory two-week shutdown of team factories, with racing resuming at Zandvoort at the end of August. Although it’s a sprint weekend and there are wet conditions, Mercedes has brought new parts that include an updated floor, as well as a rear wing that results in less drag and changes to the engine cover. There’s also a reprofiling of the sidepod inlets for reliability reasons.

Chris Medland photo

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Red Bull has tightened some of the packaging at the rear of the car for cooling purposes given the low temperatures expected at Spa, while Ferrari has a new rear wing like Mercedes that is better suited to lower-downforce tracks.

While Alpine has a track-specific front wing — along with Williams — it also has brought an updated floor in search of more performance, in a similar development to Aston Martin. For Mike Krack’s team, as well as the floor there are rear wing and beam wing tweaks just for the Spa layout.

McLaren and Alfa Romeo have made circuit-specific changes to the rear wing and beam wing — while Alfa has also done so to its front wing — but the AlphaTauri rear wing is a performance update.

Haas is the only team with no new developments listed.

F1 technical updates – 2023 Hungarian GP

Red Bull Racing and sister team AlphaTauri headline the schedule of upgrades for the Hungarian Grand Prix, with both making major aerodynamic revisions in Budapest. Red Bull Racing has been dealing with a 10 percent reduction in development time …

Red Bull Racing and sister team AlphaTauri headline the schedule of upgrades for the Hungarian Grand Prix, with both making major aerodynamic revisions in Budapest.

Red Bull Racing has been dealing with a 10 percent reduction in development time owing to its penalty for breaching the 2021 cost cap and has thus far refrained from bringing major upgrades to the RB19 this season. The team has listed five major parts to the upgrade package applied at the Hungaroring, though four of those components have reliability listed as their primary purpose.

The car has enlarged front and rear brake ducts that will help deal with the higher braking energy generated around the twisty Budapest circuit, The rear duct exits will also add local load.

The sidepod air inlets have been reprofiled in a way that will boost radiator cooling efficiency but will also likely boost aerodynamic efficiency. The engine cover has also been revised in sympathy with the wider intakes.

A new floor is the only component listed as being primarily driven by performance considerations. Unfortunately for the team, Sergio Perez’s FP1 crash allowed photographers to snap some photos of the floor body just minutes after making its on-track debut.

The crash damage appeared focused on the left-front corner of the car, potentially damaging one of the Mexican’s new brake ducts as well as parts of the floor.

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AlphaTauri has brought a new front and rear wing, a new nose and a new floor body, all of which are targeted at improving aerodynamic efficiency by producing more downforce for less drag.

The Italian team brought a large update package to the British Grand Prix, which technical director Jody Egginton said produced downforce largely in line with expectations despite a lukewarm response from his drivers.

The team will be hoping its latest set of new parts will improve the car’s balance, particularly rear stability on corner entry.

Mercedes has made changes to its front wing endplates and front suspension to boost downforce, while a new rear wing has been applied as a circuit-specific part.

Ferrari and Alpine have both brought Hungary-specific front wings to tackle the low-speed track and its high downforce demands.

Aston Martin has designed a new engine cover it expects to improve cooling efficiency. Heat management tends to be critical at the typically warm Hungaroring, where the lack of long straights and the track’s bowl-like topography minimize cooling opportunities.

Haas has brought a new floor with modified outboard components to improve flow efficiency.

F1 technical updates – 2023 British Grand Prix

AlphaTauri has the biggest upgrade at the British Grand Prix but there are significant developments from both Mercedes and McLaren at Silverstone. The AlphaTauri update is extensive, with a new floor – highlighted by specific changes to the floor …

AlphaTauri has the biggest upgrade at the British Grand Prix but there are significant developments from both Mercedes and McLaren at Silverstone.

The AlphaTauri update is extensive, with a new floor — highlighted by specific changes to the floor body, floor fences and floor edge — as well as diffuser, engine cover bodywork, rear suspension, rear wing and beam wing developments.

Close behind in terms of number of upgrades is Alfa Romeo, with five areas — the floor body, floor fences, diffuser, rear corner and rear suspension — having been adapted in order to improve the aerodynamic flow of the car.

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Mercedes has brought a new front wing to try and close the gap to Red Bull, with the redesign intended to improve the airflow to the bodywork and the floor. There’s a similar update at McLaren after major developments in Austria, with a new front wing and nose alongside rear brake duct and rear suspension changes. Those new parts are expected to run on Lando Norris’ car, with Oscar Piastri receiving the update that Norris had in Austria last week.

Haas is another team with multiple developments at Silverstone, introducing an updated front suspension and front brake duct, while a new beam wing has also been installed.

Of the remaining minor updates, Red Bull has a circuit-specific cooling solution for its front brake ducts and Alpine has a revised front wing. Aston Martin’s front wing changes are specific to Silverstone — as is an updated rear brake duct — while Williams has a slightly modified front wing and circuit-specific rear wing setup.

F1 technical updates: 2023 Austrian Grand Prix

Ferrari and McLaren both have significant updates at the Austrian Grand Prix despite it being a sprint weekend. The teams with new parts will only have one practice session on Friday to analyze them before needing to make decisions on setup and …

Ferrari and McLaren both have significant updates at the Austrian Grand Prix despite it being a sprint weekend.

The teams with new parts will only have one practice session on Friday to analyze them before needing to make decisions on setup and their effectiveness. At Ferrari there is an entirely new front wing that features a redesign of all elements, as well as changes to the front floor fences, floor edge, mid floor and diffuser sidewall. Ferrari says that leads to the sidepod undercut being re-designed to suit, with the target of improved car efficiency.

McLaren’s update is more significant but only available on Lando Norris’ car, with the British driver receiving a new sidepod inlet, halo, fully revised floor, reshaped sidepod and engine cover and updated cooling louvers. The floor is designed to provide a clear downforce gain, while the other items improve the airflow conditioning to the floor itself.

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AlphaTauri has updated its rear wing and associated beam wing, as well as making circuit-specific changes to the cooling louvers, and Williams has made further tweaks to the edge of the updated floor it brought to Canada as well as a front brake duct development.

Red Bull has introduced a slight rear suspension tweak, while Haas has a more reliable pitot tube to gather aerodynamic data with.

F1 technical updates: 2023 Canadian Grand Prix

Williams and Aston Martin have the most notable upgrades at the Canadian Grand Prix, with a visually different car for Alex Albon. The updated Williams features a new floor and sidepods, as well as the engine cover and halo, while there are changes …

Williams and Aston Martin have the most notable upgrades at the Canadian Grand Prix, with a visually different car for Alex Albon.

The updated Williams features a new floor and sidepods, as well as the engine cover and halo, while there are changes to the rear suspension, rear brake ducts and rear wing endplates on Albon’s car. The developments are solely focused on adding downforce rather than a change of direction, and will be compared to Logan Sargeant’s car as he runs the previous specification.

Williams has by far the largest number of new parts to test, but Aston Martin also has made significant changes to the floor and engine cover on its car, as well as some circuit-specific cooling options.

There is “a subtle reprofiling” of the front wing at Red Bull and the removal of a winglet on the Mercedes sidepod as the only changes for the rest of the front-runners, while Alpine has an updated rear suspension and rear wing.

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McLaren also has a rear wing update — paired with a beam wing evolution too — and Haas has a new floor, as well as circuit-specific rear wing and cooling solutions. The only other update is also circuit-specific from AlphaTauri with a change to its front wing to help balance the car when it runs its rear wing in a low-downforce setting.

F1 technical updates: 2023 Spanish Grand Prix

Ferrari and Aston Martin have brought the most significant updates ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix. Delaying the introduction of certain parts from the the cancelled race in Imola, Ferrari has brought a new floor and sidepod solution that work …

Ferrari and Aston Martin have brought the most significant updates ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.

Delaying the introduction of certain parts from the the cancelled race in Imola, Ferrari has brought a new floor and sidepod solution that work together with the aim of improving efficiency and overall load. There’s also an updated rear wing design that is circuit-specific.

Aston Martin has the largest list of upgrades to test on Friday, with a new front wing — including endplate changes — and associated nose tweaks, as well as an updated rear wing endplate and beam wing.

New floor edge for the Red Bull RB19 in Barcelona. Mark Sutton/Motorsport Images
Rear of the new floor edge for the Red Bull RB19 in Barcelona. Mark Sutton/Motorsport Images 

Red Bull brings a new floor edge and diffuser to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, while Mercedes has removed a mirror vane on its sidepod inlet as well as a diffuser update.

McLaren has a minor change to its front brake ducts, while AlphaTauri has a new rear wing and rear wing endplate design, and Williams has circuit-specific changes to its front wing and engine cover cooling layout.

Alpine, Alfa Romeo and Haas have not submitted any new parts to the FIA to run this weekend in Spain, but all teams will have two sets of Pirelli’s new slick tire compound — set to be introduced at Silverstone — to test on Friday.

F1 technical updates: 2023 Monaco Grand Prix

Mercedes’ new upgrade package headlines a number of significant developments introduced by the entire grid at the Monaco Grand Prix. Imola’s cancellation delayed the new parts for all teams until this weekend, and Mercedes is finally running its …

Mercedes’ new upgrade package headlines a number of significant developments introduced by the entire grid at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Imola’s cancellation delayed the new parts for all teams until this weekend, and Mercedes is finally running its long-awaited package that includes a new front suspension, floor fences, sidepods, engine cover, rear wing and winglets on the rear corner of the car.

The sidepods are the most obvious update as Mercedes opts for a more conventional layout compared to its previous design, saying it is intended to “improve flow to the floor edge, which results in more floor load and also improved flow to the rear corner.” The suspension changes similarly are designed to improve the airflow to the sidepods themselves and rest of the car.

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Red Bull has made minor changes, with a circuit-specific rear wing that lets the team run maximum downforce, and a wishbone shroud tweak that allows the required steering lock in Monaco. Ferrari has a similar rear wing update to Red Bull, as well as adaptations to its rear brake ducts, brake cooling inlets and suspension fairings.

Significant upgrades for Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin AMR23 at Monaco. Andy Hone/Motorsport Images

Aston Martin has a more significant update, with front and rear suspension and front corner changes to improve overall load, while there is a new rear brake duct specific to Monaco and high-downforce rear wing too.

While McLaren has tweaked its floor fences and rear corner for performance — also adding a larger front brake scoop for cooling purposes and a high-downforce rear wing — Alpine has brought further developments including front suspension fairings, a wider sidepod with deeper gulley and an adapted floor edge alongside its rear wing changes.

The biggest number of updates are seen at AlphaTauri with nine areas — including a new floor, diffuser, sidepods, engine cover, front suspension and rear wing – just ahead of the eight new parts introduced by Alfa Romeo. The Sauber-run team has a new floor, engine cover, rear suspension and rear brake ducts for performance, as well as circuit-specific cooling and rear wing changes.

All 10 teams have new parts, with Haas bringing a new front wing and front suspension geometry while Williams is introducing front suspension changes alongside circuit-specific front brake ducts and rear wing.

F1 technical updates: 2023 Miami Grand Prix

A new Ferrari floor is the standout development amid the few updates brought by teams to the Miami Grand Prix. Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur had already confirmed the Scuderia’s development plan would kick in from this weekend’s race in …

A new Ferrari floor is the standout development amid the few updates brought by teams to the Miami Grand Prix.

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur had already confirmed the Scuderia’s development plan would kick in from this weekend’s race in Florida and the team has brought a new floor that focuses on the front-to-mid sections of the car and the diffuser. Ferrari says the new floor is intended to reduce losses in those areas, improving aerodynamic performance and car efficiency.

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Of the front-running teams, only Aston Martin has also brought anything new compared to Baku, although its updated cooling louvers are circuit-specific to counter the high temperatures in Miami.

There’s also a new floor at Haas as one of the other major updates, with the team aiming to control the pressure distribution better, something it says will increase aerodynamic efficiency at all speeds.

Haas F1 Team personnel at work in the garage ahead of the Miami GP weekend. Alexander Trienitz/Motorsport Images

AlphaTauri has two changes to its car this weekend, with an upgrade to the front wing creating more local load generated by adaptations to the outside edge of the tip as well as the inboard section. There is also an addition of a wing element underneath the mirror assembly ahead of the sidepod, helping to direct higher-energy airflow to the rear of the car to increase downforce.

The only other new part submitted by teams is at Alfa Romeo, where a tweak that allows the team to run its beam wing without an additional flap has been developed to offer up different drag solutions specific to the circuit in Miami.

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