Though the end of the season is fast approaching, three teams have introduced new components ahead of this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The penultimate round of 2023 is the first in Las Vegas for more than four decades and sees teams face a step into the unknown on a brand-new venue.
Alpine, McLaren, and Aston Martin have tackled that challenge with a revised package specifically tailored to the Vegas street circuit.
Alpine has changes to both ends of its car, with a modified front wing and changes to its beam wing at the rear.
To get the most out of both, there are also changes to the rear brake drum, with aerodynamic flicks removed for this weekend to reduce drag.
McLaren has addressed the same issue, reducing drag by changing its beam and rear wing combination.
The Las Vegas circuit features a highspeed straight, and with few long or especially loaded corners, the emphasis is on aerodynamic efficiency.
Shedding drag has, therefore, been a priority for the papaya squad, which has arguably been the second most competitive team in the latter half of 2023.
Aston Martin has also been reinvigorated of late, with an improved performance in Sao Paulo for Fernando Alonso (third) more reflective of the team’s early-season pace.
It has changed its front wing and engine cover, the latter improving airflow by reducing cooling – an easy trade-off given the lower ambient temperatures expected this weekend.
While not running a new package this weekend, Haas has split its car spec, with Nico Hulkenberg running the older model and Kevin Magnussen that introduced for the United States Grand Prix.
Alpine
| 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 | The rear beam wing slat has been removed and the lower rear wing profile has been reduced. | To deal with the long straights of the Las Vegas Circuit – the beam wing change reduces levels of drag. |
| Front Wing | Circuit specific -Drag Range | The front wing is a modified version of a previous spec with a further trim to the inboard segment. | The front wing change is the most efficient way to balance the revised beam wing update, more of which can be found above. |
| Rear Corner | Circuit specific -Drag Range | The rear drum upper flicks have been removed. | The removal of the rear drum upper flicks brings an efficient reduction in drag at the rear of the car for the demands of this circuit. |
McLaren
| 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 | Single element Beamwing | A single element Beam Wing has been designed, suitable for the specific circuit requirements, trading loading between Rear Wing and Beam Wing. |
| Rear Wing | Circuit specific -Drag Range | Reprofiled Rear Wing Flap | In conjunction with the aforementioned Beam Wing, a new reprofiled Rear Wing flap has been designed for this event to maximise efficiency. |
Aston Martin
| 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 | A front wing flap with shorter chord and reduced incidence compared to the standard version. | This flap is to balance the car with lower rear wing levels when circuit characteristics require that setup. |
| Coke/Engine Cover |
Circuit specific -Cooling Range | Additional bodywork internal trailing edge closing panel. | The closing panel reduces the exit area of the bodywork to reduce air flowing through the car to reduce cooling for low ambient temperatures. |
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