Latest Austrian GP F1 updates revealed

Red Bull has bucked the trend of its main Formula 1 rivals Ferrari and Mercedes in bringing some upgrades to the Austrian Grand Prix.

At a track where historically the Milton Keynes-based operation has shone strongly, it has elected to bring both aerodynamic and cooling tweaks to its RB18.

The most visually obvious is a more cut away central cooling exit in its engine cover, which will help reject heat better from the power unit at the high-altitude Red Bull Ring circuit.

Red Bull Racing RB18 rear

Photo by: Jon Noble

The new exit also works in conjunction with a minor revision to the floor fence leading edge geometries (below), which the team has made to help improve flow stability at all ride heights.

Red Bull Racing RB18 side detail

Photo by: Jon Noble

Red Bull has also enlarged the front brake disc clearance in a bid to improve cooling for the specific demands of the Red Bull Ring circuit.

McLaren wing and brakes

McLaren MCL36 technical detail

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

McLaren has introduced a new small trim to the lower edge of the rear wing endplate that is aimed at increasing clearance to nearby components.

The team has also modified the rear brake duct scoop surface, to help improve local flow in the area – which serves to boost both cooling and aerodynamic performance.

Alpine rear wing

Alpine A522 rear wing

Photo by: Jon Noble

Alpine has introduced a revised outboard top rear wing, that has a much bigger endplate notch compared to the previous wing that operated at the same downforce level.

The team explained: “The top rear wing is offloaded on the outboard ends, which gives a drag reduction and more downforce from the bigger endplate notch.”

The airflow on the underside of the wing has more room to expand, thus increasing the downforce.

Williams suspension

Williams FW44 front suspension detail

Photo by: Jon Noble

Williams is continuing to evaluate the major update package that it introduced at the British Grand Prix – with its understanding of it limited thanks to the wet weather at Silverstone.

Despite the damage sustained by Alex Albon in his lap 1 incident last weekend, Williams has prepared another set of new bodywork for him to run at the Red Bull Ring.

As part of a further revision, Williams has updated the front suspension leg surfaces. This change is aimed at reducing the local flow separations, as well as improving the onset flow to the rear of the car.