Formula 1 returns to Monza, the Italian Temple of Speed this weekend and all but one of the 10 teams on the grid has brought updates to its cars ahead of the Italian GP.
Given the increased low drag demands of the Monza circuit, it is no surprise to learn that the majority of the teams’ upgrades come in the form of circuit-specific alterations, with Haas being the only outfit not to bring updates to Italy.
Red Bull, for instance, has just two updates on the RB19 this weekend, with trims to the wing flap trailing edges at both the front and the rear of the car, in order to reduce aerodynamic load and therefore drag.
The RB19 has been a formidable machine in 2023 with Max Verstappen chasing a record 10th-consecutive win this weekend.
Ferrari heads into its home GP with the weight of expectation from the passionate Tifosi urging the team forward.
The Italian marque’s car is sporting a special livery this weekend and also has revisions to the Front and Rear Wing, with lower downforce designs in the form of reprofiled top and lower rear wing elements and a ‘depowered front wing flap’, to give it the optimum package to cope with Monza’s challenges.
Ferrari has a splash of yellow on its car this weekend.
Mercedes fell foul of poor strategic calls in the mixed conditions of Zandvoort last weekend and will be looking to bounce back in Monza.
The Brackley-based squad’s updates can both be found at the rear of the car with the implementation of a ‘small chord upper rear wing’ and a ‘small chord beam wing’ to reduce downforce and improve the W14’s straight-line efficiency.
Alpine was a surprise podium package in the Dutch GP thanks to Pierre Gasly, so the Anglo-French squad will be looking to keep its run of form going.
To do that, the team has just one solitary upgrade for this weekend’s Italian GP with a revised profile to the rear beam wing element, which of course will help reduce drag.
McLaren could arguably hold the title of ‘development race champions’, if there was such a thing, given the team’s meteoric rise from the back of the field at the start of the season to podium contenders in the present moment.
To aid its continued progression, the MCL60 is sporting half a dozen upgrades to aid the aero balance and efficiency of the car.
A Low Balance Front Wing Flap has been introduced to ‘balance low downforce wing options’ that McLaren has also brought to cope with the demands of Monza.
The revisions at the rear include a lower Drag Flap Assembly with two options of trim, alterations to the Rear Wing Endplates, a Low Drag Rear Wing Assembly and revisions to the Rear Corner Winglet.
Finally, McLaren has a new Front Brake Duct Scoop to aid ‘flow conditioning’ and ‘brake cooling performance’.
Alfa Romeo is another team shouting about its ties to Italy with an impressive tricolore design on its C43 this weekend.
The C43 is also running different profiles on the main plane and endplates of the Rear Wing, plus new geometry to the Front Suspension, which again, like most of the upgrades across the paddock are designed to meet the low-drag requirements of Monza.
Reduced aerodynamic load and therefore drag is also the name of the game over at Aston Martin, with the Silverstone-based squad making a single revision to the AMR23 to achieve this in the form of a new Rear Wing Flap, that features a reduced chord and low drag profile.
AlphaTauri has a proud history at Monza, with the Faenza-based squad winning here on two occasions, once with Sebastian Vettel in 2008 (back in the days of Toro Rosso) and then again with Pierre Gasly in 2020, so they will be looking to tap into that prior form to extract the best possible performance from the AT04 this weekend.
AlphaTauri has made revisions to the chord and camber of both the Front and Beam Win, removed a trio of turning vanes from the outboard mirror stem on the Rear View Mirrors and also removed a number of elements from the Rear Brake Drum Assembly to meet the specific requirements of Monza.
Finally, Williams will look to replicate its strong performance at Monza last year by scoring more points this weekend and to do that the team has just one update in the form of a trim to the trailing edge of the Front Wing Flap.
The lack of more revisions to the FW45 is unsurprising given it’s considered to be a low-drag package in standard trim compared to other cars on the grid.
The teams will get a chance to test the upgrades brought to Monza this weekend when FP1 gets underway at 13:30 local time (12:30 BST).
