Seven of the 10 Formula 1 teams have brought updates to their respective machines for this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with he majority being circuit-specific adjustments.
At Red Bull, the RB20’s “bodywork panel forming a suspension aperture and cooling exit has been reduced in exit size,” this is due to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit’s high average speed and absence of low-speed corners meaning cooling areas on the body can be reduced.
Similarly, Red Bull has made circuit-specific adjustments with a Rear Wing/Beam Wing configuration that is a low drag spec.
Ferrari has made the same wing adjustments as Red Bull and has carried over its 2023 spec Rear Wing with depowered Top Rear Wing profiles and two variations of the Beam Wing.
One beam wing configuration is a single plane design, an aggressive development to chase a low-drag setup.
McLaren is the third outfit to incorporate a Rear Wing/Beam Wing low downforce setup.
Mercedes has brought just a single updated component to the W15 this weekend and it is performance-related as opposed to circuit-specific with a lower deflector rotation to the Rear Corner and the “reduced loading on the forward element” is said to improve the “robustness of the lower deflector throughout the ride height range.”
Aston Martin has made revisions to the Front Corner of the AMR24 with a “revised scoop shape with inlet and exit changes.”
The new Front Corner geometry is said to modify flow around the front tyre and improve wake coming off the front tyre.
In addition, Team Silverstone has made a circuit-specific change with a “less aggressive rear wing cascade, with two different flap options.”
Like its competitors, Aston’s Rear Wing modifications are purely to reduce drag in accordance to the high-speed nature of the Jeddah configuration.
Williams has a smaller exit on the front brake duct of the FW46, “this adjusts the brake temperatures into a range that suits the Jeddah circuit.”
The Grove-based outfit has also made another circuit-specific change in “the reduction in size of the beam wing,” in order to reduce downforce and drag.
RB rounds out the list of teams that have brought upgrades to Saudi Arabia, four in total and three circuit-specific.
To chase performance and improve airflow conditioning, “the shape & slope of the top deck of the bodywork has been modified” which will improve airflow across the bodywork toward the rear of the VCARB 01.
RB has also introduced an optional increase in cooling louvres and has brought optional packages for the Front Wing and Rear Wing to tune low-drag setups of its machine.
Alpine, Sauber and Haas have all elected not to bring updates to Jeddah.
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