Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1. 27.07.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 13, Belgian Grand Prix, Spa Francorchamps, Belgium, Preparation Day.
Nine of the 10 teams on the F1 grid have brought upgrades for this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, with many changes being made to meet the low drag demands of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
Championship leaders Red Bull have brought just one update to their all-conquering RB19 this weekend.
The Milton Keynes squad have elected to reduce the cooling exit area ahead of the rear top wishbones, a track-specific alteration given the cooler temperatures at Spa.
Mercedes has made updates in four areas, as the team continues to try and extract performance from the W14 and gain some ground on runaway leaders Red Bull.
The W14 features taller sidepod inlets – a change aimed to improve reliability and improve airflow to the radiators.
Further performance gains are hoped to be found in the W14’s reprofiled coke/engine cover camber, which seeks to improve airflow toward the rear of the car, as do the changes to the underside of the Mercedes machine.
Finally, Mercedes has brought a low-downforce rear wing in accordance with the low-drag demands of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
McLaren, who has brought significant upgrades to its car in the last two events, yielding back-to-back podiums for the first time in 11 years, has brought a trio of changes to its car.
However, McLaren’s alterations are all track specific.
The beam wing, rear wing endplate and rear wing flap trims have all been modified on the Woking-based team’s car to reduce aerodynamic drag and load.
The Alfa Romeo C43 is sporting a special KICK livery with neon-green elements this weekend, along with reprofiled front wing flaps, a reduced profile rear wing and two versions of the beam wing, one with and one without the upper element.
The Williams FW45, notably a low-drag car, visiting a circuit at which the team ran well last year, features shorter winglets on the rear brake ducts to work alongside the rear wing assembly to meet the drag range necessary to run well at Spa.
The FW45 also features an optional trim to the rearward most element of the front wing, which is said to ‘reduce the front wing loading to suit the lower drag rear wing setup at the Belgian Grand Prix circuit.’
Aston Martin, a team which leapt up to second in the pecking order at the start of the season, but has since fallen back into the clutches of rivals Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren in recent weeks, has brought a minor change to the floor edge in a bid to improve the overall performance of the AMR23.
The Silverstone-based squad has also made circuit-specific changes to the rear and beam wing, like many others, to meet the drag demands of Spa.
Alpine, a team looking to bounce back after a double-DNF last time out, has brought a low downforce front wing and made several changes to the floor of its car.
The Enstone team has revised the forward fences, canoe ramps and incorporated a smoother diffuser wall cut-out profile, with the changes said to ‘gain downforce through the accumulation of several small local gains.’
Like Red Bull, Scuderia Ferrari and Scuderia AlphaTauri have each brought one upgrade to their respective packages.
Ferrari has opted to employ a low downforce rear wing in accordance with the needs of the Belgian GP venue, with both the top and lower rear wing elements altered.
AlphaTauri has also made rear wing adjustments, by modifying the rear wing tips, which is said to increase the ‘local load of the upper wing assembly.’
Haas is the only team on the grid that hasn’t brought updates to its car this weekend.
Keyword: The upgrades F1 teams have brought to the Belgian GP