Formula 1 teams are well accustomed to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya due to the vast testing that has taken place at the venue in the past.
As a result, the layout will offer a strong insight into how new parts are performing, especially for the upgrades that were introduced last time out in Monaco.
The tight and narrow nature of the Monte Carlo circuit limited the understanding of the new parts and teams will be keen to evaluate the data produced from practice in Spain.
But as well as the Monaco upgrades, there are various fresh components in place for the Barcelona round.
The talk of the paddock has been around Ferrari, who is introducing a noticeably different engine cover shape.
Gone is the ‘scooped’ design that received praise for its aesthetics to be replaced by a new version which Ferrari hopes will improve flow to the rear of the car while also changing the cooling management system.
It has also brought a new floor to the event that will work in conjunction with the new sidepod design. A new rear wing is also in play in Barcelona to cope with the aerodynamic requirements of the track.
Charles Leclerc has already downplayed the expectations of the new parts as Ferrari looks to claw into the deficit to championship leaders Red Bull.
Red Bull itself has brought new components to Spain, revising the floor edge will also add greater curvature to the top corners of the diffuser.
After unveiling its first major upgrades of the year in Monaco, Mercedes has made minor changes for Spain.
These include the removal of the upper mirror vane, which it says will now allow for improved flow quality to the rear of the car.
It has also made changes to the diffuser sideview profile which improves the flow to the diffuser.
Aston Martin has a number of new parts for the upcoming round as it continues its strong start to the 2023 campaign.
The front wing has seen changes to the endplate tip, which changes how it interacts with the front tyres. In addition, the front wing flap has been altered to suit the new tip, with two versions of the component available across the weekend.
Staying at the front of the car, the team says that the nose camera incidence has been modified to “improve local downstream conditions”.
At the rear of the AMR23, added material has been fitted to the rear wing endplate tip and two different beam wings are present to work with the new rear wing.
McLaren has added a new front brake duct vane and winglet shape, while AlphaTauri has introduced a new rear wing to improve the generation of downforce.
A new, longer gurney flap option is available for the front wing of Williams’ car, while the Grove-based squad has an option exit duct on the engine cover to improve cooling.
Alpine, Alfa Romeo and Haas did not list any upgrades for the Spanish GP race weekend.
Discussion about this post