The stables are taking advantage of the Barcelona circuit to introduce many evolutions

New pontoons for Ferrari

This is the main evolution expected this weekend: the Scuderia is revising its bulging side pods approach to move closer to Red Bull’s strategy with a flow of air directed towards the inside and bottom of the car. « This development focuses on conditioning the airflow towards the rear wing and the rear corner, combined with a different management of the cooling flow, to improve the overall efficiency of the car », comments Ferrari in Barcelona.

The team also introduces a revised design of the upper rear wing, with a reshuffle of the main profiles and wing flaps. An update that is supposed to better meet the aerodynamic efficiency requirements of the Barcelona circuit.

Ferrari will also implement new configurations on the floor. Combined with the update of the sidepod and the evolution of the main floor body as well as the floor edge, these new geometries optimize the characteristics of local flow to increase the advantages in terms of downforce, the team specifies.

The evolutions at Red Bull

On its side, the reigning world champion team also introduces some changes. Red Bull is reviewing the performance of the edges of its famous floor (which is being envied) and the local load. « A greater local load has been extracted from the details of the floor edge by reshaping them to adapt to local pressures, while maintaining aerodynamic stability », it is explained.

The team also plans to improve the performance of its diffuser: the upper corners of the diffuser have been reshaped for a greater curvature, while a slight increase in local downforce towards the edge of the diffuser has been achieved by using a more curved profile inspired by rival models, according to Red Bull.

During the press conference on Thursday, Max Verstappen had stated that these changes were “nothing crazy” for the performance of the car.

A few changes at Mercedes

Among the other teams that made updates on their cars, it should be noted that Mercedes removed a deflector located on the side mirror, which is no longer necessary with the arrival of its new side pods. The German team also modified the profile of the side wall of the diffuser to increase airflow in it.

A beautiful package from Aston Martin

Aston Martin is undoubtedly the team that has made the most changes in Barcelona. The front wing panel now has a different torsion distribution, “with a smaller height variation on the trailing edge to adapt to the new tip”. This panel is available in two versions for different aerodynamic balances. This modifies the load distribution along the front wing span to improve performance.

It’s not over for the front wing: “The new geometry improves the way the wing tip interacts with the tire behind it, for better performance across the entire operating range,” explains Aston Martin.

The nose also undergoes a small evolution for the pilot: “Due to different triggering conditions, the incidence of the nose camera has been realigned in order to improve interaction and enhance local conditions downstream.”

The rear wing is not to be outdone: “The performance of the upper rear wing is improved by modifications to the load affected by the endplate, as well as by some load on the component itself”.

The latest evolution concerns the “beam wing” to adapt to the new end plate and improve the load distribution across the entire span of the wing.

New at McLaren

Finally, McLaren has modified the shape of the front brake duct and fin to improve flow conditioning, which should result in an overall increase in aerodynamic load, she claims.