John N
Formula 1 teams have confirmed the details of the changes they have made to their cars for this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.
Here are the changes each team has informed the FIA about. Haas is the only team that says they have not introduced any upgrades to their cars this weekend.
Mercedes
Front Wing Endplate
Reason for change: Performance – flow conditioning
Difference: “Change in endplate camber.”
Description: “This change in endplate camber, which curves gently inboard, is designed to improve flow onto the front cake tin deflector, and hence flow to the car’s rear.”
Floor Edge
Reason for change: Performance – flow conditioning
Difference: “Slot added to the outer edge of the floor.”
Description: “This is a detailed change similar to that found on other cars, and it is designed to improve floor performance when it is running close to the ground.”
Rear Corner
Reason for change: Performance – flow conditioning
Difference: “New lower deflector endplate.”
Description: “This modification generates increased local load on the lower deflector inside the rear wheels, increasing overall diffuser load.”
Floor Body
Reason for change: Performance – local load
Difference: “New bib vane added to the keel.”
Description: “The new bib vane has a dual function and benefit: first, it generates local load in the middle of the car; second, it sends a vortex under the main floor of the car.”
Red Bull
Front Wing
Reason for change: Circuit specific – balance range
Difference: “A new flap has been designed with locally longer chord profiles, more camber angles, and increased angles of incidence.”
Description: “More front wing load is generated on all the profiles due to the new design of the flap profiles.”
Floor Body
Reason for change: Performance – flow conditioning
Difference: “Surfaces raised locally from previous geometry at the floor to top body split line to form a ‘blister’.”
Description: “For a given load, the downstream conditioning of the blister improves the total pressure on the upper surface of the floor.”
Ferrari
Floor Body
Reason for change: Performance – local load
Difference: “Updated floor and diffuser geometries.”
Description: “This new Floor component is part of a standard development cycle. It aims at improving the overall aerodynamic performance through the entire car operating envelope and is not specific to the Barcelona circuit layout.”
Rear Corner
Reason for change: Performance – local load
Difference: “Updated [rear brake duct] furniture / winglet geometries”
Description: “This new external rear corner component is part of the standard development cycle and goes together with the floor update. It aims at improving the overall aerodynamic performance through the entire car operating envelope and is not specific to the Barcelona circuit layout.”
Rear Wing
Reason for change: Circuit specific – drag range
Difference: “Higher downforce top rear wing design.”
Description: “More loaded top rear wing main and flap profiles introduction to adapt to the Barcelona circuit layout peculiarities and aerodynamic efficiency requirements.”
McLaren
Front Wing
Reason for change: Circuit specific – balance range
Difference: “Revised flap widespan.”
Description: “A new front wing flap allows a larger aero balance range. This includes different options of gurney flap’ to match aero balance requirements.”
Front Suspension
Reason for change: Performance – flow conditioning
Difference: “Revised fairing on front suspension legs.”
Description: “The front suspension fairings have been locally modified to integrate with a revised front brake duct inboard face and inlet geometry.”
Front Corner
Reason for change: Performance – local load
Difference: “A fully revised front corner internals and scoop.”
Description: “The new design of the front brake duct shape improves aerodynamic efficiency, and the revised internal ducting improves the brake cooling efficiency.”
Floor Body
Reason for change: Performance – local load
Difference: “Revised floor fences, overall floor shape, and floor edge.”
Description: “A new floor has been developed and brought to this event as part of an aerodynamic update that includes a revised sidepod, increasing overall car downforce.”
Coke/Engine Cover
Reason for change: Performance – local load
Difference: “Revised sidepod shape and width.”
Description: “A new sidepod has been developed and brought to this event as part of an aerodynamic update that includes a revised floor, increasing overall car downforce.”
Cooling Louvres
Reason for change: Circuit specific – cooling range
Difference: “New louvers to suit new sidepods.”
Description: “A revised set of louvers will be introduced to suit the new sidepods and cope with the high ambient temperatures expected in Barcelona.”
Rear Wing
Reason for change: Circuit specific – drag range
Difference: “Revised upper rear wing assembly, mainplane, flap and [rear wing end plate].”
Description: “A new rear wing has been brought to this event, improving lap time at high downforce circuits like Barcelona and Monaco.”
Rear Corner
Reason for change: Performance – local load
Difference: “Revised [rear brake duct] lower wing endplate.”
Description: “A previously raced rear brake duct lower winglet geometry incidence angle better suited to the new floor geometry.”
Sidepod Inlet
Reason for change: Reliability
Difference: “Removed cockpit strake.”
Description: “A strake on the cockpit has been removed. This aims to improve the visibility the drivers have towards the inside corner, in particular.”
Diffuser
Reason for change: Performance – flow conditioning
Difference: “Centre diffuser packer.”
Description: “This is a test option geometry for the new floor to study alternative flow conditions around the central diffuser area.”
Alpine
Rear Wing
Reason for change: Circuit specific – drag range
Difference: “Larger rear wing to increase downforce level due to the configuration of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.”
Description: “A more loaded top rear wing to make maximum use of the rear wing legality box, thus generating more downforce. To be run on both cars, #31 and #14.”
Front Wing Endplate
Reason for change: Performance – local load
Difference: “A more loaded dive-plane with a reprofiled leading edge and lower corner vanes.”
Description: “With more load on the dive-plane, more downforce is generated at the front of the car and improves the flow field behind the front wing.”
Rear Corner
Reason for change: Performance – flow conditioning
Difference: “Higher angle of incidence rear brake drum lower winglet.”
Description: “The rear brake drum winglet improves airflow around the rear corner, providing improved support for the lower rear wing.”
Rear Corner
Reason for change: Performance – flow conditioning
Difference: “Revised rear brake drum upper winglet.”
Description: “Minor update to the rear brake drum upper winglet for a small local aero improvement at the car’s rear.”
AlphaTauri
Rear Wing
Reason for change: Circuit specific – drag range
Difference: “The new rear wing is deeper in front view and has more camber. “
Description: “The new rear wing generates more downforce but with more drag. This trade is a better optimum for the characteristics of this track. “
Aston Martin
Floor Body
Reason for change: Performance – local load
Difference: “Fundamental changes are large to suit surrounding geometry, but the surfaces are smoother along the length of the car.”
Description: “The main floor body modifications are to better manage airflow along the lower surface of the floor in combination with the surrounding geometry.”
Floor Fences
Reason for change: Performance – local load
Difference: “Twin OB fences with remaining two fences repositioned, reprofiled, and extended forwards.”
Description: “Fences rearranged to modify the airflow around the forward floor and provide more consistent load throughout the ride height range.”
Floor Edge
Reason for change: Performance – local load
Difference: “Floor edge wing has moved rearwards, with an associated change to the plan view edge of the floor, and the shape in front of the rear tire.”
Description: “Modifications are intended to modify the loading distribution along the edge of the floor and consequently the performance through the operating envelope of the car.”
Sidepod Inlet
Reason for change: Performance – flow conditioning
Difference: “Sidepod inlet has moved rearwards compared to the previous version with the lower edge raised to create a shallower inlet.”
Description: “Inlet moved rearwards to better influence the surrounding airflow while retaining the requirements of the cooling package.”
Coke/Engine Cover
Reason for change: Performance – local load
Difference: “Bodywork changes are to create an upper surface that slopes down to the car’s rear, with the maximum width of the bodywork pushed rearwards also. The exit at the rear of the bodywork is larger and higher.”
Description: “Revised shapes improve airflow delivery to the car’s rear and re-distribute the internal cooling flow exit to a more optimum position.”
Cooling Louvres
Reason for change: Circuit specific – cooling range
Difference: “Two options of bodywork cooling louvers will be available to suit the new bodywork shape, with blanking panels for each to give fine adjustments.”
Description: “As always, the bodywork louver exits will be as closed as possible for optimum external aero performance, to maximize the quality of the flow at the back of the car.”
Rear Wing
Reason for change: Performance – local load
Difference: “There is a new upper rear wing assembly available which is more loaded than previous versions that have been available.”
Description: “More aggressive section design increases rear load and drags beyond the range of the current set of components at the track; simulation suggests this is appropriate for the upcoming events.”
Halo
Reason for change: Performance – flow conditioning
Difference: “Addition of a vane on top of the halo at the rear attached to the chassis.”
Description: “Modification to the flow field around the cockpit to improve the performance downstream of this area at the rear of the car,”
Williams
Front Wing
Reason for change: Circuit specific – balance range
Difference: “Larger and more inclined rearward most flap element of the front wing”
Description: “More loaded front wing flap to help balance the new rear wing. With the new rear wing increasing the load on the rear axle, the new front wing flap is required to increase the front axle’s loading to maintain a suitable balance.”
Rear Wing
Reason for change: Performance – local load
Difference: “More highly loaded rear wing mainplane with a more aggressive profile when viewed head-on. The greater the angle of attack.”
Description: “More loaded rear wing option to suit the lower efficiency circuits such as Barcelona.”
Rear Corner
Reason for change: Performance – local load
Difference: “A new cluster of winglets on the inboard face of the rear brake duct. Six new winglet elements replace the previous down-washing pair of winglets.”
Description: “New group of winglets on the rear brake duct, which produces local load and also changes the flow around the rear tire.”
Alfa Romeo
Front Wing
Reason for change: Performance – flow conditioning
Difference: “New geometry for endplates and flaps.”
Description: “An update to the flaps and end plates of the front wing to bring expected improved characteristics in cornering conditions.”
Front Suspension
Reason for change: Performance – flow conditioning
Difference: “New front suspension top wishbone cover.”
Description: “The new front suspension parts, specifically the front suspension top wishbone cover, are expected to produce improved characteristics in cornering conditions.”
Coke/Engine Cover
Reason for change: Reliability
Difference: “Wing mirror -modified IR housing.”
Description: “The redesigned mirror has thicker stays for improved structural integrity and a larger housing to embed sensors used in practice sessions.”
Floor Body
Reason for change: Performance – flow conditioning
Difference: “Floor update.”
Description: “The new floor, with updated specifications in several elements, is expected to improve performance in all cornering conditions.”
Coke/Engine Cover
Reason for change: Performance – flow conditioning
Difference: “Redesigned profile of the engine cover and sidepods towards the coking zone.”
Description: “We are introducing a new profile of the engine cover to improve flow quality reaching the car’s rear end.”
Cooling Louvres
Reason for change: Performance – flow conditioning
Difference: “New internal cooling duct vanes.”
Description: “The updated cooling duct vanes, part of our continuing work in this area, are aimed at enlarging the cooling capacity of the car.”
Rear Suspension
Reason for change: Performance – local load
Difference: “New rear suspension wishbone and track rod covers.”
Description: “The new rear suspension wishbone and track rod covers reduce losses and enhance overall airflow quality in the rear area.”
Rear Wing
Reason for change: Performance – local load
Difference: “New geometry for the main plane, flap, and end plates.”
Description: “We are introducing a circuit-specific high downforce rear wing with new endplates, main plane, and flaps to maximize downforce.”
