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Nine out of the 10 Formula 1 teams have brought updates to this weekend’s Formula 1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
A list of developments new in Imola, provided by the FIA, reveals Ferrari as the odd one out as F1 returns to Europe for the first time since pre-season testing.
The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is the first of three Sprint format weekends for 2022, with most bringing minor developments to their cars.
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With qualifying the second session of the weekend, teams had just 60 minutes in which to test an evaluate parts before their cars go into parc ferme conditions.
As a result, the updates were on the more subtle end of the development spectrum, with more significant changes not expected until later in the season.
Mercedes
| Upgrade | Primary reason | Geometric differences | Brief description |
| Sidepod Inlet | Performance – Flow Conditioning | We have added a third chassis side turning vane ahead of the sidepod inlet. | These vanes improve the air flow quality into the sidepod radiator duct and therefore improve the overall cooling of the car. |
| Sidepod Inlet | Performance – Flow Conditioning | Re-profiled upper SIS shroud and mirror housing. | These geometry changes have been introduced in order to remove small areas of separated air flow, and by doing so we improve air flow to the rear of the car. |
| Diffuser | Performance – Local Load | Reduced floor edge curl ahead of rear tyre. | This area of the floor has been modified in order to remove a small area of air flow separation and improve flow in the diffuser, which results in an increase of rear load. |
| Rear Corner | Performance – Local Load | Tweak to lower deflector endplate. | This modification generates increased local load on the lower deflector inside the rear wheels, which in turn increases overall diffuser load |
Red Bull
| Upgrade | Primary reason | Geometric differences | Brief description |
| Floor Body | Performance – Local Load | Adding a secondary wing on the keel akin to competitor designs. | local load has been added by fitment of a narrow span secondary wing to the keel panel, which has been narrowed towards the leading edge. |
| Rear Corner | Reliability | Additional rear brake cooling | Enhanced mass flow for additional rear brake material and brake caliper cooling from inlet and exit duct revisions. No revision to ancillary cooling within the wheel volume. |
McLaren
| Upgrade | Primary reason | Geometric differences | Brief description |
| Beam Wing | Circuit specific – Balance Range | Trimmed beam wing gurney. | This is an update to the beam wing which could be used to locally modify beam wing load and pressure field under specific conditions such as rain. |
Alpine
| Upgrade | Primary reason | Geometric differences | Brief description |
| Floor Body | Performance – Local Load | Compared to the Australian Grand Prix, the floor edge has changed with some minor visible geometric changes. | The new floor will be tested during Friday practice in Imola. The new design is intended to help create more downforce. |
| Beam Wing | Performance – Local Load | The rear beam wing goes with the new floor as a paired item. In terms of geometry, it has a revised outboard end shape. | The rear beam wing provides better aerodynamic support for the diffuser, which is to help improve performance gain on the car. |
AlphaTauri
| Upgrade | Primary reason | Geometric differences | Brief description |
| Floor Body | Performance – Local Load | The leading edge of the floor has changed shape in front view to increase its height part way across its span. In addition a cut out has been introduced into the sidewall of the of the diffuser and the curl at the back of the floor edge reduced in span. | The forward floor changes alter the distribution of the loading generated by the floor to maximise the downforce that can be generated across the ride height envelope of the car. The rearward changes are designed to work better with the structures generated from the edge of the floor to increase the overall floor load. |
| Floor Fences | Performance – Local Load | Small change to leading edge position of the strakes. | The change optimises the loading of the fences to get the most out of the change in shape of the main floor body. |
| Front Corner | Performance – Flow Conditioning | The lower surface of the scoop has been raised resulting in a shorter but wider inlet. The inlet is now more of a ‘D’ shape that protrudes further inboard. | The new design works in conjunction with the front suspension to enhance its loading to better control the wake from the front wheels. This is achieved by the way the change in shape changes the pressure field around the brake duct itself. |
Aston Martin
| Upgrade | Primary reason | Geometric differences | Brief description |
| Halo | Circuit Specific – Drag Range | Halo vane from R01 re-fitted. | Part of a package with the mirror sidepod stay to modify airflow to the back of the car that suits this circuit characteristic. |
| Sidepod Inlet | Circuit Specific – Drag Range | Mirror sidepod stay length reverted to R01 spec. | Part of a package with the mirror sidepod stay to modify airflow to the back of the car that suits this circuit characteristic. |
| Floor Body | Reliability | Floor outboard stay mounting to the floor moved forwards. | The lower location has moved forwards to stifen that part of floor and minimise deflection to reduce ground contact. |
Williams
| Upgrade | Primary reason | Geometric differences | Brief description |
| Rear Wing | Circuit Specific – Drag Range | Small update to the geometry of the top wing elements to improve the efficiency and the DRS effect | Change to the loading of the flap and mainplane alter the base efficiency of the wing and increase the drag reduction when DRS is active |
| Front Suspension | Performance – Flow Conditioning | Minor update to the suspension shrouding on the FTWB fwd leg, which now narrows more in the middle of the leg | Minor change to the local flow condition around the front suspension members to aid load delivery further rearward on the car. Also increases clearance to pushrod to avoid potential clashing |
| Front Corner | Circuit specific – Cooling Range | Modified front brake duct blanking panels to extend tuning flexibility. New range of panel sizes and an optional larger panel on the inboard duct entry for possible use in the wet | Reduces air flow to the front brake discs for use fine tuning of brake disc temperature. Extending the range adds flexibility, especially in wet qualifying sessions when changes to the brake ducts are permitted |
Alfa Romeo Sauber
| Upgrade | Primary reason | Geometric differences | Brief description |
| Floor Body | Performance – Flow Conditioning | Updated front floor geometry | By modifying the geometry of the floor, the air flow around the local area and further downstream is affected positively, creating more downforce and allowing other aero devices towards the rear end of the car to work more effectively. |
| Coke/Engine Cover | Performance – Flow Conditioning | Locally larger bodywork | A new profile of the floor and sidepod area tidies up the flow of air in front of the rear tyres, improving the flow to the diffuser and the overall aerodynamic efficiency of the package. |
| Rear Suspension | Performance – Local Load | Updated the geometry of the rear brake ducts | An updated design of the RBD allows improvements to the cooling and to some extent the external aerodynamics |
Haas
| Upgrade | Primary reason | Geometric differences | Brief description |
| Floor Edge | Performance – Flow Conditioning | Compared to the Launch Floor, there is a revised notch with an extended and repositioned floor edge wing | The update is in response to early season porpoising. The new geometry aims to help control this phenomenon by better controlling flow structures on the floor edge. |
