F1 News, Reports and Race Results

McLaren leads F1 teams' upgrades at Red Bull Ring

McLaren predictably led the field's upgrades for this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring.

But Ferrari also unveiled a few changes to its SF-23 contender in Spielberg, while four other teams implemented updates.

This weekend's round of racing in Austria is the first installment of a double-header that will take the teams to Silverstone next week.

As programmed, McLaren rolled out the first update of a three-stage plan that will unfold over the next three weekends and which the team hopes will turn around its season.

Team papaya's MCL60 featured revised sidepod inlets, a new floor and modified coke/engine cover and cooling louvres. The car's reshaped sidepod now incorporates the 'waterslide' design exploited by Aston Martin.

But the car's fully revised floor features updated fences, a modified floor edge and diffuser which, in conjunction with the revised bodywork shame results in an increase in aerodynamic load.

In phase with its significant aero changes and to help flow conditioning, McLaren has also updated the Halo fairing on its MCL60.

Over at Ferrari, the Italian outfit has introduced a new front wing that includes a redesigned, mainplane, flaps and endplate.

The Scuderia has also implemented changes to the floor of its SF-23, with revised fences, edges and diffuser sidewall, while the sidepod undercut has also been modified accordingly.

Red Bull Racing has revised the surfaces of the rear suspension on its RB19 to improve local flow stability.

Haas has introduced a new pitot sensor on its VF-23 F1 car to help the team better understand its current tyre degradation issues in race trim.

The new part, located at the front of the car, is of a “lower aerodynamic disturbance” and has “an improved functionality in the operations and data analysis” according to Haas.

Williams, which introduced a heavily revised machine in Canada, has already updated the outer fences on the FW45's floor carcass, with the upper trailing edge now further inboard and the leading edge fillet now larger, all for the purpose of slightly improving local load.

The British outfit has also reprofiled the front brake duct on its car.

Finally, AlphaTauri's AT04 is sporting a modified rear wing in Austria and a revised beam wing that should provide better aero efficiency around the Red Bull Ring.

The Italian outfit has also modified the cooling louvres on its car to suit the cooling demands of the circuit.

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Michael Delaney

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