Formula 1 is back after a month's absence and its stateside, as the Miami Grand Prix is set to begin at 4 p.m. ET Friday, with Free Practice followed by Sprint Race Qualifying.
After an uneven start to the season with new power units powered equally by biofuel and battery power, Mercedes proved the most reliable and competitive cars, with Ferrari right behind and McLaren trending upward after Japan.
With races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia canceled due the Middle East conflict, several teams focused on major upgrades to debut in Miami:
Ferrari: Full implementation of the rotating "Macarena" rear wing; new rear end diffuser, beam wing and engine cover to reduce drag; front floor redesign, new front corners, wing endplates; redesigned rear suspension and reprofiled front suspension.
McLaren: "Entirely new" MCL40 power unit; completely new floor; redesigned sidepod inlets; new rear wing.
Red Bull: Own version of rotating rear wing; redesigned sidepods and topbody; new floor, front wing, front corner; rear corner adjustments. (For Verstappen's car only; using Hadjar's as the control for comparison.)
Mercedes: Revised tailpipe placement; front corner tweak.
Alpine: Rear wing and endplates redesigned, altered rear suspension.
Haas: Minor change to floor winglet and diffuser.
Williams: Revised floor and sidepods; new software update to maximize power unit.
Racing Bulls: Upgraded floor, wings and rear corner.
Audi: New front-brake ducts; new floor edge and diffuser shape.
Cadillac: Floor and floorboards redesign; revised front-wing flaps and endplates; new rear-brake drums. Side mirror repositioned for aerodynamics.
Aston Martin spent the month trying to keep their car on the road for an entire race, working exclusively with Honda on the power unit to reduce the excessive vibrations that were unsafe for the drivers. Zero adjustments to the car. With limited laps and an unreliable engine, there was no sound data to undergo upgrades.
My take: Well, McLaren took the sprint pole, with Lando Norris on the front row with Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli, continuing his strong start in his sophomore season. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) are P3 and P4, and the third row is Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and George Russell (Mercedes). So, whatever upgrades the mid-field constructors made had little effect on closing the distance on the Big 3 this week.
THE ASYLUM
F1 back, upgrades abound
Formula 1 is back after a month's absence and its stateside, as the Miami Grand Prix is set to begin at 4 p.m. ET Friday, with Free Practice followed by Sprint Race Qualifying.
After an uneven start to the season with new power units powered equally by biofuel and battery power, Mercedes proved the most reliable and competitive cars, with Ferrari right behind and McLaren trending upward after Japan.
With races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia canceled due the Middle East conflict, several teams focused on major upgrades to debut in Miami:
Ferrari: Full implementation of the rotating "Macarena" rear wing; new rear end diffuser, beam wing and engine cover to reduce drag; front floor redesign, new front corners, wing endplates; redesigned rear suspension and reprofiled front suspension.
McLaren: "Entirely new" MCL40 power unit; completely new floor; redesigned sidepod inlets; new rear wing.
Red Bull: Own version of rotating rear wing; redesigned sidepods and topbody; new floor, front wing, front corner; rear corner adjustments. (For Verstappen's car only; using Hadjar's as the control for comparison.)
Mercedes: Revised tailpipe placement; front corner tweak.
Alpine: Rear wing and endplates redesigned, altered rear suspension.
Haas: Minor change to floor winglet and diffuser.
Williams: Revised floor and sidepods; new software update to maximize power unit.
Racing Bulls: Upgraded floor, wings and rear corner.
Audi: New front-brake ducts; new floor edge and diffuser shape.
Cadillac: Floor and floorboards redesign; revised front-wing flaps and endplates; new rear-brake drums. Side mirror repositioned for aerodynamics.
Aston Martin spent the month trying to keep their car on the road for an entire race, working exclusively with Honda on the power unit to reduce the excessive vibrations that were unsafe for the drivers. Zero adjustments to the car. With limited laps and an unreliable engine, there was no sound data to undergo upgrades.
My take: Well, McLaren took the sprint pole, with Lando Norris on the front row with Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli, continuing his strong start in his sophomore season. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) are P3 and P4, and the third row is Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and George Russell (Mercedes). So, whatever upgrades the mid-field constructors made had little effect on closing the distance on the Big 3 this week.
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