Red Bull and McLaren lead the way in terms of upgrades as all 10 teams boast new components for this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Check out below a full list of every update on every car up and down the grid.
Red Bull
| Updated component | Primary reason for update | Geometric differences compared to previous version | Brief description on how the update works |
| Sidepod Inlet | Circuit specific -Cooling Range | Revised aspect ratio inlet compared to previous version, wider span and reduced in height | New shape exploits the higher-pressure air available for the inlet and improves cooling efficiency, which can reduce the magnitude of the exit opening and is beneficial for performance and enlarges the ambient temperature range of operation. |
| Coke/Engine Cover |
Circuit specific -Cooling Range | A consequential change for the sidepod inlet geometry, no requirement to change to the louvre exit panels. | To have continuous surfaces for the sidepod and topbody, the sidepod had to widen and then blend to the floor split line, existing louvre exit panel and quarter panel junctions aside the gearbox casing. |
| Floor Edge | Performance -Local Load | Minor revisions to the edge and wing geometries to realise latest intent | The new surfaces exploit latest developments for load and compliment the updated sidepod shape to minimise losses incurred, overall beneficial. |
| Floor Fences | Performance -Local Load | The outer fence has a revised top edge profile. | Better alignment to the local conditions to ensure the surfaces are appropriate and a small amount of load improvement will result. |
| Rear Corner | Circuit specific -Cooling Range | A single winglet on the outboard face of the wrap-around has split into two elements | To avoid local separation, the winglet has become two elements and this in turn reduces the losses which affected the exit back pressure and therefore efficiency of the duct. |
Ferrari
| Updated component | Primary reason for update | Geometric differences compared to previous version | Brief description on how the update works |
| Rear Wing | Performance -Drag reduction | Lower Downforce Top Rear Wing design | Compared to what used previously this season, this component features depowered Top Rear Wing profiles in order to adapt to Baku City Circuit layout peculiarities and efficiency requirements. |
Mercedes
| Updated component | Primary reason for update | Geometric differences compared to previous version | Brief description on how the update works |
| Rear Wing Endplate |
Performance -Local Load | Subtle changes to wing tip and endplate surfaces with infill options to shed drag. | Resurfacing improved flow surface quality and wing tip performance in crosswind. Infill option reduces flow expansion behind wing, reducing downforce and drag. |
| Front Corner | Circuit specific – Cooling Range |
Increase duct exit area. | Increased front brake duct exit area to increase mass flow feeding the disc to improve cooling – a requirement for this high braking circuit. |
| Rear Corner | Performance -Local Load | Lower deflector endplate trim. | Results in cleaner endplate flow, which increases local load on the deflector elements, which in turn increases diffuser and floor load. |
| Front Suspension |
Performance -Flow Conditioning |
Lower wishbone outboard fairing reprofiled. | Improves flow attachment around the outboard fairing in high steer, resulting in better flow to the floor and increased performance. |
Alpine
| Updated component | Primary reason for update | Geometric differences compared to previous version | Brief description on how the update works |
| Floor Body | Performance – Local Load |
Completely new floor with multiple detail changes since previous specification. | The new floor has a different pressure distribution with greater overall load. Both cars will have the new floor here. |
| Front Suspension |
Performance – Drag reduction |
Revised angle of incidence of the front top wishbone fairing. | The angle of incidence to the front top wishbone fairing of the A523 has been revised as part of its upgrade package. |
| Rear Suspension |
Performance – Local Load |
Revised suspension leg fairings and rear brake drum flick. | The revised suspension leg fairings and rear brake drum flick brings an increase in local load through improved flow conditioning at the rear of the car. |
| Rear Wing | Circuit specific -Drag Range | Revised top rear wing mainplane. | The revised top rear wing mainplane is part of a low downforce configuration which is suited to the demands of the Baku City Circuit. |
| Front Wing | Circuit specific -Drag Range | Trim to the front wing flap. | The trim to the front wing flap is, like the above, circuit specific as part of the lower downforce configuration suited to the demands of the Baku City Circuit. |
McLaren
| Updated component | Primary reason for update | Geometric differences compared to previous version | Brief description on how the update works |
| Floor Body | Performance – Local Load |
New Floor geometry | The new Floor geometry significantly alters local suction distribution as well as floor structure strength and positioning, resulting in an overall gain of load. |
| Rear Wing | Circuit specific – Drag Range |
Lower Drag Rear Wing Assembly | New lower Drag Rear Wing Assembly, with an offloaded Mainplane and Flap, resulting in an efficient reduction of Downforce and Drag. |
| Rear Wing | Circuit specific – Drag Range |
Rear Wing Flap Trims | Two options of Rear Wing Flap Trims which reduce flap loading and resultant Downforce and Drag of the RW Assembly. |
| Beam Wing | Circuit specific – Drag Range |
New upper Beamwing Element | This new Beamwing Geometry features an offloaded upper element, which, as a result of the interaction with the upper Rear Wing assembly, leads to an efficient reduction of Downforce and Drag. |
| Beam Wing | Circuit specific – Drag Range |
New upper and lower Beamwing Element | This new Beamwing Geometry features an offloaded upper and lower element, which, as a result of the interaction with the upper Rear Wing assembly, leads to an efficient reduction of Downforce and Drag. |
| Beam Wing | Circuit specific – Drag Range |
New upper and lower Beamwing Element | This new Beamwing Geometry features a further offloaded upper and lower element, which, as a result of the interaction with the upper Rear Wing assembly, leads to a further efficient reduction of Downforce and Drag. |
Alfa Romeo Sauber
| Updated component | Primary reason for update | Geometric differences compared to previous version | Brief description on how the update works |
| Rear Wing | Circuit specific -Drag Range | A new configuration of the rear wing with a shorter chord | The new rear wing configuration answers the specific requirements of the Baku circuit, reducing drag and improving the aerodynamic efficiency of the car. |
| Beam Wing | Circuit specific -Drag Range | A new configuration of the beam wing, moving from a stacked configuration to a biplane one. | The new beam wing configuration answers the specific requirements of the Baku circuit, reducing drag and improving the aerodynamic efficiency of the car. |
| Front Wing | Circuit specific -Balance Range | New front wing flap profiles | The new flap geometry, including an additional optional trim, address the balance changes resulting from the introduction of the new rear wing configuration, and help the team achieve maximum efficiency for the car on Baku’s very particular track. |
Aston Martin
| Updated component | Primary reason for update | Geometric differences compared to previous version | Brief description on how the update works |
| Rear Wing | Circuit specific -Drag Range | The new rear wing has smaller upper elements compared to those used so far this season. There are two versions of flap to suit this wing. | The geometric changes reduce rear wing load and hence drag to allow the car setup to be optimised for the characteristics of this circuit. |
Haas
| Updated component | Primary reason for update | Geometric differences compared to previous version | Brief description on how the update works |
| Rear Wing | Circuit specific -Drag Range | The rear wing prepared for the Baku circuit characteristics will generate less aerodynamic drag respect the wings used so far in 2023. | The level of downforce will be lower as consequence of the rear wing design defined to reduce the drag coefficient. The result will be that at the high speed that can be reached in Baku the car will allow to improve its performance. |
Scuderia AlphaTauri
| Updated component | Primary reason for update | Geometric differences compared to previous version | Brief description on how the update works |
| Front Wing | Circuit specific -Balance Range | The new front wing flap reduces element chords and incidence to reduce overall front wing assembly downforce generated. | The low drag nature of this circuit reduces the amount of downforce required from the front wing assembly to give the correct car balance, which is achieved with this change in flap geometry. |
| Coke/Engine Cover |
Circuit specific -Cooling Range | The central bodywork exit has been altered to improve cooling performance. | The change to the bodywork improves cooling such that the need for additional auxiliary cooling exits is reduced. This increases overall car downforce for a given cooling requirement. |
| Rear Wing | Circuit specific -Drag Range | The new upper rear wing assembly reduces downforce generated by reducing the camber and incidence of the wing elements. | The low drag nature of this circuit dictates a less loaded upper rear wing assembly to achieve the optimum balance between downforce generation for cornering and drag reduction for straight line performance. |
| Beam Wing | Circuit specific -Drag Range | The new biplane beam wing assembly reduces downforce and drag by reducing the chord and incidence of the second element. | This beam wing assembly allows a further drag reduction step in addition to the new upper rear wing assembly if deemed optimum for overall lap time given the low drag nature of this circuit. |
| Beam Wing | Circuit specific -Drag Range | The new single element beam wing component generates less downforce and drag than the biplane assembly in the absence of the flap element. | This beam wing variant allows a further drag reduction step if deemed optimum for overall lap time given the low drag nature of this circuit. |
| Rear Corner | Performance -Local Load | The new rear drake drum has an additional inlet inboard of the main drum fence to increase rear brake disc cooling. The drum vane cascade behind the inboard inlet has also been redesigned to increase the overall downforce generated by improving their relative positions on the drum face and increasing their number. |
The very high braking energy of this circuit requires an increase in rear disc cooling. The change to the drum vanes increases local downforce generated by this assembly and is particularly useful at this circuit given the low speed nature of the corners. |
Williams
| Updated component | Primary reason for update | Geometric differences compared to previous version | Brief description on how the update works |
| Beam Wing | Circuit specific -Drag Range | We have a shorter chord RLW available for this event. This is the same basic geometry as the previous version but with a trim to the trailing edge |
This simply provides a reduction in the drag and the downforce of the car to suit the requirements of Baku |
| Nose | Performance – Local Load |
We have modified the shroud on the underside of the nosebox to alter the local curvature | This improves the local flow quality and consequently increases the load from the front wing and nose assembly |
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