Half of Formula 1’s 10 teams have brought updates for their cars at this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix.
They include Ferrari, who indicated they would bring a significant upgrade for this weekend’s race. The team has a new floor for its SF-23 which it describes as part of their “standard development cycle.”“Particular attention has been put on losses-reduction in all the updated areas,” the team explained in the documentation it supplied to the FIA, “with the aim to improve the overall aerodynamic performance and car efficiency.”
Aston Martin has brought an extra cooling option for the AMR23. Last year’s race at the Miami International Autodrome was the sixth-hottest of the season, with ambient temperatures reaching 30C.
Red Bull, Mercedes, Alpine, McLaren and Williams have not declared any upgrades for this weekend’s race. The latter is currently last in the points’ standings, and the three teams ahead of it have all brought upgrades this weekend.
AlphaTauri, who have been working to improve their car’s low-speed balance, have two revisions to their AT04. These are a front wing update, which it hopes will aid the performance of its floor, and a new winglet added to its rear view mirrors to improve the airflow around them.
Haas, like power unit supplier Ferrari, have a new floor which is also intended to improve aerodynamic efficiency. Alfa Romeo have brought a previously-used beam wing to use in a different configuration this weekend, giving it another potential solution to the set-up challenges posed by Miami’s mixture of long straights, short low-speed corners and medium-speed turns at the beginning of the lap.
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2023 Miami Grand Prix F1 teams’ updates
The teams described the changes to their cars for this weekend’s race as follows.
Ferrari
Floor Body
Reason for change: Performance – flow conditioning
Difference: “Updated front/mid floor and diffuser geometries”
Description: “This new floor component is part of the standard development cycle. Particular attention has been put on losses reduction in all the updated areas, with the aim to improve the overall aerodynamic performance and car efficiency”
Alfa Romeo
Beam Wing
Reason for change: Circuit specific – drag range
Difference: “Added option to run the beam wing without the flap.”
Description: “This is an additional configuration of previously utilised parts; we have added this possible combination to give us an additional aerodynamic solution to respond to the characteristics of the Miami track.”
Aston Martin
Cooling Louvres
Reason for change: Circuit specific – cooling range
Difference: “A new bodywork panel is available for R05 with an additional area of cooling exits in the side of the bodywork. Use will be dependent on the conditions.”
Description: “The additional exit area allows more cooling flow to exit from the underbody cavity hence increasing cooling capacity allowing operating targets to be met in hotter conditions.”
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Haas
Floor Body
Reason for change: Performance – local load
Difference: “Geometry of the surface that control the expansion of the floor has been modified.”
Description: “With a better control of the pressure distribution and the management of the lateral flow, we have obtained improvement of the car aerodynamic efficiency at low, medium and high speed.”
AlphaTauri
Front Wing
Reason for change: Performance – local load
Difference: “Compared to launch, the outboard end of the front wing is modified to raise the tip elements and add small winglets to the inboard side of the endplate close to its trailing edge.”
Description: “These modifications reduce the tip losses generated by the assembly that pass inboard of the front tyre. This increases the energy in the flow field downstream and allows the floor in particular to generate more load.”
Sidepod Inlet
Reason for change: Performance – local load
Difference: “Relative to the launch mirror assembly that only has an aerofoil section above the mirror body, this update adds an aerofoil section below the mirror body as well. An extra winglet has also been added to the outboard mirror stay where it meets the sidepod upper surface.”
Description: “The addition of the wing element below the mirror body reduces the size of the wake generated by the mirror glass by generating local up-wash behind it. The reduction in wake losses allows the rear of the car to receive higher energy flow, improving downforce generation as a result. The extra winglet provides some additional outwash to help keep front wheel wake losses further away from the bodywork.”
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2023 Miami Grand Prix
- Verstappen picks Miami Grand Prix as his best drive of 2023 so far
- Albon “maximised most races this year” despite single point scored to date
- A sign the upgrades worked? Ferrari see an upside to Leclerc’s Miami crashes
- Red Bull ‘surprised other teams under-delivered’ with their 2023 cars
- F1’s driver intros are right for US market but wouldn’t work at Silverstone – Horner
Proesterchen (@proesterchen)
5th May 2023, 18:50
I see Ferrari are half-way there in terms of “losses-reduction” with this specific car, what with Mr Sainz not anywhere to be seen in these photos.