McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari among the teams bringing new developments to Imola

Eight teams have unveiled their technical developments at Imola. With McLaren looking to maintain their advantage, Red Bull trying to catch up, and Aston Martin going all in, here are the main modifications made to the cars for this seventh round of the 2025 championship.

McLaren refines aerodynamics to stay ahead

Buoyed by five wins in six races, the Woking team arrives in Imola with a few targeted adjustments. The British engineers have worked on the rear of their car, revisiting the rear corner and certain suspension elements, in order to optimize airflow and increase aerodynamic downforce.

The team also designed a specific high-downforce rear wing and beam wing to meet the particular demands of the Italian track. A slight adjustment was also made to the front suspension to improve reliability by creating more space between certain components.

Red Bull optimizes aerodynamic efficiency

Faced with the recent papaya orange domination, the Austrian team arrives with several modifications to its RB21. The sidepods have been redesigned with a shape reminiscent of the McLarens, and the radiator duct inlets have been revised.

The technicians at Milton Keynes also reworked the fairing around an element of the rear suspension and optimized the air inlets and outlets at the wheels to gain aerodynamic efficiency.

Max Verstappen remains cautious regarding these developments. Yesterday, in front of the media, the Dutchman stated: “It’s a small step forward. I hope we find a bit more performance, but I’m not expecting to suddenly close the gap with McLaren.”

Mercedes revises the front for better air direction

The German team has introduced three main modifications to its W16. First, the fairings of the front suspension have been reprofiled to enhance aerodynamic robustness and more effectively direct the flow towards the rear. The elements of the front wing have also been reworked to modify the airflow behind the wing.

Toto Wolff also emphasized that the teams at the Brackley factory had worked hard to develop these improvements. Finally, the engine cover underwent a slight shape revision to enhance the airflow to the rear wing while optimizing the power unit’s cooling.

Ferrari makes adjustments to stabilize the rear

For its first Italian meeting of the year, the Scuderia is only making minor tweaks. The engineers at Maranello have revised the geometry of the scoops and the arrangement of the winglets at the rear corner to improve certain aerodynamic characteristics.

The Italian team also brought out a rear wing and a beam wing with higher downforce from last season. According to the team, these elements are not the first choice but could prove useful if the track offers less grip than expected.

Contrary to rumors, Ferrari has ultimately not modified its rear suspension, whose lack of rigidity has been a problem for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton since the beginning of the season. According to Hamilton, the team will wait until after the Spanish Grand Prix to make more significant changes on this point.

The midfield is also getting updated.

Haas arrives with an impressive package including a new floor whose front shape has been modified to clean up the airflow towards the rear. The American team has also refined the edge of the floor, revised the diffuser, and retouched the rear corner as well as the suspension.

Alpine has opted for a reprofiling of its front wing to redistribute the load on its different elements. The French team has also modified the bodywork panel at the rear to improve air flow.

Racing Bulls focused on the floor by modifying the volume of the channels underneath and adjusting the curvature of the barriers as well as the positions of the winglets on the edge. The Italian team also reshaped the pontoons and added a fin to the chassis.

Aston Martin puts everything on the line

The British team presented the most comprehensive package of upgrades on the grid, with modifications affecting the halo, floor, bargeboards, edges, diffuser, engine cover, and beam wing. These improvements are important for the Silverstone team, which, apart from the Sprint in Miami, has failed to score points in three of the last four Grand Prix.

In a pack with extremely tight gaps, particularly in the middle of the grid, gaining a few tenths thanks to these developments could allow for a significant leap in the hierarchy. The Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix will give us the first clues about the effectiveness of these improvements under real race conditions.