Technical innovations demonstrated by the teams in Zandvoort

Six teams prepared some kind of technical innovation for the Dutch Grand Prix – Mercedes, Ferrari, Aston Martin and Sauber did not.

Red Bull Racing

Judging from the explanation of the purpose of the three changes presented by the championship team, they are dictated by the preparation for several upcoming races. First of all, we are talking about the fact that in the RB20, the geometry of the engine housing has been slightly changed, making the outlet for the flow of hot air from the cooling system narrower.

The shape of the fairings mounted on the Halo system and the pillars on which the rear-view mirrors are mounted have also been changed – this is done to make the interaction of the airflow flowing around this area of ​​the car more efficient with the flow directed towards the “upper surface of the bottom”.

McLaren

There are clearly more updates on McLaren cars, these concern both the front and the rear of the car. On the MCL38, the front brake air ducts have been upgraded to improve the quality of the flow passing through them. At the same time, it is separately emphasized that the changes did not affect the cooling efficiency.

However, they did require certain adjustments to the front suspension, although the team did not specify what these were.

The geometry of the lower front fascia has also been revised to improve the overall efficiency of this crucial aerodynamic component, which is largely responsible for generating downforce.

The rear suspension has also been modernised to improve the quality of the airflow flowing around this part of the car, including to the diffuser and the additional rear wing.

Alpine F1

Alpine reported that the A524 features a re-profiled upper wishbone on the front suspension to improve airflow to the rear of the car.

There are also improvements at the rear of the car: the brake air ducts have been given a slightly different configuration and small elements have appeared on them, which the team calls ‘wings’. This innovation helps to achieve a more effective compromise between downforce and aerodynamic drag.

Williams

The list of new products announced by Williams is the longest with five items. First of all, the changes concerned the underbody of the FW46: its geometry was completely revised, the front section was modernized and the Venturi duct walls were reprofiled; the edges of the underbody were also different.

Small changes, as the British team writes, also affected the diffuser, which is also aimed at improving interaction with the updated underbody and increasing the efficiency of the aerodynamics in general.

The geometry of the air duct intakes of the side pontoons has been modified, partly to reduce the loss of aerodynamic efficiency in this part of the car, which also has a positive effect on the performance of the body kit as a whole.

The shape of the engine housing has also been changed, as it must match the changes to which the side pontoons have been subjected, but these changes are also aimed at a more organic interaction with the renewed underbody of the car.

Finally, the geometry of the upper air intake, which the team also calls the ‘central’ intake, has been revised. Throughout the season, Williams has been trying to reduce the weight of the car and has been working consistently to solve this problem: it is reported that the upper roll bar has been lightened, and this has also made it possible to modernise the aerodynamic surfaces associated with it.

Visa RB

In VCARB 01 vehicles, the geometry of the rear brake air ducts has been changed. This was done due to the fact that the requirements for brake cooling in the upcoming races are not the most stringent, and this in turn makes it possible to reduce the dimensions of the air ducts and makes it possible to place additional aerodynamic elements in this area. .

Haas F1

The American team’s car has a redesigned front wing, which improves the quality of the flow around the nose and distributes the aerodynamic load more effectively. In this regard, the geometry of the front upper wishbones has also been modified.