Formula 1

F1 Teams Unveil Upgrades for 2023 Season at Australian Grand Prix

Published

2 months ago

31/03/2023

F1 Teams Unveil Upgrades for 2023 Season at Australian Grand Prix

F1 teams went all out with upgrades at the Australian Grand Prix for the third round of the 2023 season. Find out the modifications unveiled by seven teams at Albert Park.

At the Australian Grand Prix for the third round of the 2023 Formula 1 season, upgrades were presented by seven out of the 10 Formula 1 teams during the Friday “show and tell” at Albert Park. Mark Hughes provided an overview of the modifications announced by each team.

The introduction of a fresh front wing, featuring a varied mix of chord lengths and cambers, has resulted in the need for a new endplate due to regulations mandating unbroken surfaces. This updated wing provides an increased scope of options for balancing and is more appropriate for upcoming circuits that demand a stronger front end than those in Bahrain or Jeddah. Additionally, a modification has been made to the bodywork preceding the rear tire to match the selected brake duct size suited for this course.

Red Bull has made a minor alteration to the trailing edge of the rear-most front wing element. While it may not qualify as a full-fledged car development, it likely serves the purpose of achieving a more balanced front end for the car to meet the requirements specific to Albert Park.

Max Verstappen prefers a highly responsive front end, which can be a challenge for Sergio Perez at times. However, in recent races, Perez appears to have adapted to this driving style. Ultimately, if a driver can handle it, a reactive front end is the quickest approach.

Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team

The team has made a modification to enhance flow conditioning, aimed at improving overall performance. Specifically, they have added vanes to the underside of the floor wing. These vanes generate small vortices, which in turn increase the local load and improve the flow into the rear of the floor and the diffuser.

Additional vanes have been added to the underside of the floor edge wing to improve the flow over the diffuser, ultimately enhancing its efficiency.

BWT Alpine F1 Team

The fairing around the halo mounting has been adjusted to improve the airflow to the rear wing.

McLaren

To capitalize on the lower cooling requirements of this track in comparison to the first two rounds, a smaller engine cover has been implemented. Additionally, the alignment of the tunnel entry vanes has been revised, resulting in a shift in priority between the flow through the tunnel and the flow around the lower outer bodywork.

The reduced air mass flow needed to cool the car, based on the circuit layout and anticipated ambient temperatures, has led to a smaller engine cover size being implemented in order to improve the car’s aerodynamic efficiency.

Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake

A fresh nose and front wing have been introduced, with the nose terminating at the first element instead of the second. Similar to Red Bull’s updates, this new configuration enables a broader selection of balancing choices when setting up the car. Additionally, new mirror attachments with shorter chords have been installed to enhance the airflow around the cockpit.

The team has improved their capacity to control the airflow around the cockpit and enhance the car’s aerodynamic performance towards the rear by adjusting the configuration of the rear-view mirrors.

Scuderia AlphaTauri

A comprehensive array of upgrades has been introduced for this race, starting with an entirely new floor. The floor has been restructured behind the inlet fences, and the flat section between the tunnels has been broadened to narrow the tunnels at that point and increase the power of the vortices produced by the inlet fences.

The transition between the rear of the floor and the rear crash structure has been smoothed out to create a more seamless expansion for the airflow. This is expected to be particularly beneficial in improving the performance of the rear floor at low rear ride heights that are typical during early braking.

Furthermore, the tunnel fences and the transition between the fences and the tunnel have been reprofiled to enhance the vorticity and speed up the flow.

In addition, the floor’s edge behind the small winglet has been restructured, and the diffuser has been enhanced with increased curvature to improve its expansion rate to the side.

Williams Racing

The team has introduced a new option for the front wing flap trim, specifically for the Albert Park circuit and its balance range requirements. This intermediate trim level sits between the two levels used in the previous two events. If necessary for balance, a new Gurney flap consistent with the updated profiles is also available. The front wing flap trim is responsible for altering the car’s aero balance by adjusting the area of the front wing flap to suit the unique characteristics of the Albert Park track.

The rear wing endplate now features a fence that has been designed to optimize the flow around the rear tire, improving efficiency.

Williams has introduced a growth on the outer surface of the rear wing endplate (highlighted by the yellow ellipse). As it does not seem to have an impact on the inner surface of the endplate (indicated by the yellow arrow), it is most likely designed to alter the airflow on that specific section of the endplate.

The inside surface of the rear brake ducts now feature highly-cambered turning vanes that direct the airflow upward, reducing the amount of airflow that would typically be pulled under the vertical sidewall of the diffuser and thus reducing the diffuser’s performance.

To increase the efficiency of these turning vanes, growths have been added to better manage the airflow around the inside of the rear tire. This, in turn, is expected to improve the performance of the diffuser.

F1 Teams Unveil Upgrades for 2023 Season at Australian GP F1 Teams Unveil Upgrades for 2023 Season at Australian GP F1 Teams Unveil Upgrades for 2023 Season at Australian GP