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The Belgian Grand Prix has for some time now presented Formula 1 teams with a set-up dilemma: how best to balance the high-downforce demands of the middle sector's super-fast corners with the fast, flowing sections at the start and end of the 4.352-mile Spa-Francorchamps lap that carry a heavy low-drag emphasis.
As such, it's no surprise seven of the 10 teams have brought upgrades to the final round before the 2024 season's summer break.
But some of those packages go beyond simple circuit-specific solutions. Mercedes is chief among those with wider changes, as it steps up its bid to make up the last remaining bit of ground on McLaren and Red Bull.
And there's also other revisions for Alpine and Sauber, plus what would previously have been the rarest of sights: a bespoke, low-downforce Haas rear wing.
Mark Hughes is your guide to all the new parts on show in the Spa pitlane:
Mercedes
A further upgrade to the Mercedes floor and diffuser.
The floor-edge wing now has an extra element, lowering the air pressure behind the fences which creates additional load on the front of the floor. The camber of the diffuser roof has been enhanced to increase its pulling power on the underfloor.
There is a low-downforce wing with accompanying smaller front wing elements for the low-drag demands of Spa.
Mercedes explains its new floor
"It's mainly about more downforce. We're not looking for any different characteristics from it, really. It's just when you're developing, you're not completely in control of what you get.
"You're looking for downforce; you're not totally in control of which ride heights, so effectively [it's about] what speed range you're going to find it at.
"We'll see what we get here, hopefully it'll work well around this circuit and hopefully it'll give us another step in the right direction."
Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes trackside engineering director
Ferrari
Low-downforce front and rear wings for Spa.
McLaren
A low-downforce package incorporating front and rear wings, beam wing and rear brake ducts.
Alpine
A revised front wing geometry which allows the low-downforce setting to be more aero-efficient than with the previous design.
As part of ongoing development and not specific to Spa, there is a new engine cover which has enabled a more efficient internal cooling route. A wider rear brake duct is designed to be more aerodynamically powerful.
The Spa-specific items are the low-drag rear wing and single-element beam wing.
RB
All three RB changes are low-drag specific: rear wing, beam wing and rear brake ducts.
Sauber
A general development part is the reworked floor fences which place more load towards the front of the floor.
The rear wing has been designed to be more aero-efficient than the previous one at the sort of low-drag settings used for Spa (and elsewhere). There is an accompanying low-drag beam wing and the front wing has shorter chord lengths.
Haas
Less cambered rear wing and beam wing suitable for Spa.
No updates declared: Red Bull, Aston Martin, Williams
