F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Tech Take: A detailed look at F1 teams' Dutch GP upgrades

The second part of the 2023 F1 season kicked off at Zandvoort and while teams are now channeling most of their resources towards their 2024 designs, upgrades continue to be implemented.

The purpose of the updates is not only to boost an outfit's current car's performance but also to gather learnings that can be fed into the development of next year's contender.

This weekend, Mercedes and Aston Martin which are fighting for the runner-up spot in F1's Constructors' Championship, have introduced new elements on their respective cars.

Mercedes has updated the floor edge on its W14, which now has a reduced span forward floor edge wing that offloads the latter a little, which in turn "reduces losses improving flow to the rear and increasing rear downforce".

Furthermore, a decambered inboard mirror stay will help improve flow quality to the rear of the car and increase rear wing load, the latter benefit also helped by a revised beam wing.

Aston Martin rolled out its AMR23 that featured a revised floor and diffuser and modified floor fences and edges, all of which have been designed to work in combination to "increase the load generated by the floor".

©FIA

While Ferrari has left its SF-23 unchanged, Red Bull slightly tweaked the beam wing on its RB19, revising the cambers and angles of incidence across its elements to "improve the pressure distribution and improve wing performance".

Over at McLaren, the team has implemented circuit-specific changes to the rear wing and beam wing of its MCL60 in a bid to improve aero efficiency compared to the previous assembly.

Haas' VF-23 features a new front wing and nose assembly that includes a new mainplane and flaps arrangements, while development work centered on the car's nose has focused on achieving the best compromise between the nose geometry and the wing profile itself.

©FIA

Finally, AlphaTauri has updated the rear wing endplate on its AT04 to increase the efficiency of the assembly and the component's drag level for Zandvoort.

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Michael Delaney

Recent Posts

Cadillac confirms ‘substantial upgrade package’ for Austria

After Cadillac’s Sergio Perez recently hinted that fresh performance gains were on the way, the…

8 hours ago

Domenicali suffers for Alonso: ‘I hope he'll be here for a long time’

Fernando Alonso has spent much of his Formula 1 career tormenting rivals. But these days,…

9 hours ago

Formula E sheds urban identity - embraces F1 tracks in Season 13

The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship has revealed its highly anticipated 21-round calendar for…

11 hours ago

Hirakawa in the saddle with Haas in Austrian GP FP1

Toyota protégé Ryo Hirakawa's Formula 1 journey will take another step forward this weekend as…

12 hours ago

Stewart offers Matra and France their 'Jour de Gloire'

On this day in 1968, Jackie Stewart delivered the first triumph to a French constructor…

13 hours ago

FIA approves major changes to future Formula 1 engine rules

The World Motor Sport Council has officially ratified major updates to Formula 1’s future power…

14 hours ago