Formula 1

McLaren and Mercedes bring major upgrades to US GP - but not Red Bull

by Mark Hughes
3 min read

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With six races of F1 2024 to go, there's a whole bunch of Formula 1 upgrades at the United States Grand Prix that might change the pecking order once more.

Mark Hughes rounds up the upgrades the teams have declared - with Ferrari and Williams the only teams to not bring any declared upgrades.

Red Bull

A revised floor edge wing gives a claimed increase in local load. The sidepod's upper surface where it joins to the coke bottle section has been reprofiled to give a more efficient cooling route, minimising the area of louvres needed. 

Mercedes

Mercedes has brought a major aerodynamic upgrade comprising the floor edge wing, the floor vanes and a reprofiled front wing designed to improve airflow to the rear of the car.

An additional vane on the floor edge wing has improved vorticity under the forward floor. The reprofiled fences are to take full advantage of this.

The front wing features less twist in the flaps across the span, reducing the disruptive effect further downstream of the wake.

The front upper wishbone fairing has been reprofiled as part of that whole regime. The lower lip of the bodywork around the radiator inlet has been extended, giving a claimed more efficient route for the cooling air in a wider range of conditions.

As part of this process, there is an additional cooling outlet near the rear suspension, designed to increase the speed of the downforce-generating flow travelling over the sidepods.

McLaren

A very significant raft of upgrades on the McLaren, based around a re-assessment of the front wing/front suspension/front brake ducts package.

The main aim of the new front wing has been to improve flow conditioning downstream for an overall increase in aero load.

The suspension sheathing and new brake duct details are in service to the new aero pattern created by the wing.

There are minor aero changes to the rear brake ducts too and the availability of a single plane beam wing which gives a less draggy contribution to downforce. 

Aston Martin

A major upgrade package based around an all-new floor body.

The new geometry of the underfloor, including the central ‘canoe’ section, works in conjunction with a new diffuser and slightly tweaked floor edge design to give what the team believes will be a significant aero performance improvement.

The engine cover and coke bottle section are also new and the shoulder area above it all contribute to working the air in a way to enhance underbody performance.

A new front wing flap design with a different degree of twist across the span, together with revised endplates, is targeted at improving wake control. 

Alpine

Like Aston, Alpine has a new floor body, new details along the floor edge and a reshaped coke bottle/rear engine cover to further aid the underbody flow. The flap of the high-downforce rear wing has been reprofiled for better aero efficiency.    

RB

Minor changes to the floor geometry and how it interfaces with the main chassis in the search for reduced aero losses. 

Sauber

An all-new front wing focussed on better wake control downstream is the foundation for a general tweaking of those downstream aero surfaces to maximise the change. This includes reprofiled sheaths for the front and rear suspension. 

Haas

The team’s biggest upgrade since Silverstone comprises a significantly deeper sidepod undercut, making possible a more aggressive floor expansion area which in turn has allowed the diffuser to be reprofiled. Floor fences and floor edges have been reprofiled accordingly. 

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