Ahead of the weekend’s first and only practice session, the FIA has released a list of the updates brought by each Formula One team to the 2024 United States Grand Prix. While the reveal of these updates is not unusual, with the F1 Car Presentation constituting an important feature of the typical race weekend, enthusiasts of the sport will be especially eager to see what improvements teams hope to make going into the penultimate triple-header of the season.
Of particular interest, even to fans who hold little to no allegiance to either team, are the updates that have been brought by the top two contenders for the World Constructors’ Championship. Currently, McLaren Racing, which has dominated since their return after the summer break, sits at the top of the championship with 516 points – just 41 points ahead of close rivals Red Bull Racing who sit second with 475 points. Despite there being only six race weekends left this season, and despite McLaren having overtaken Red Bull as the favourites, the title remains up for grabs.
Perhaps of greater interest, is the fight between Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and McLaren’s Lando Norris in the World Drivers’ Championship. Currently, Verstappen, who leads the WDC standings with 331 points, remains the favourite for the title. However, with the RB20’s obvious and significant deficiencies in its performance when compared to the MCL38, and with a dominating Norris only 52 points behind him, there remains a significant chance that it will be Norris, not Verstappen, who will be crowned world champion when the checkered flag falls in Abu Dhabi.
Despite recent controversies over their use, or lack thereof, of team orders between Norris and his teammate Oscar Piastri, and more significantly, McLaren’s installation and use of a “mini-DRS” rear wing in the 2024 Azerbaijan GP, the team appears to be continuing their efforts to improve their performance around the track, and subsequently to improve their chances to take both championships.
According to FIA Formula 1 World Championship Document 6 for the 2024 United States Grand Prix, McLaren has updated seven of its components ahead of the weekend’s activities – four of which are expected to improve the MCL38’s overall performance, particularly that which is associated with flow conditioning.
As described in Document 6, the Woking-based team has introduced a new front wing geometry and corresponding new front suspension to maximise the flow characteristics within the front wing, thereby improving its aerodynamic load. These updates have been brought in tandem with a complementary update to the front brake duct furniture which is expected to further improve the MCL38’s overall flow characteristics. McLaren has also introduced a small modification of the rear suspension fairing which aims to improve the overall flow quality across multiple conditions, thereby enabling improved aerodynamic load generation.
In addition to these performance-related updates, the team has brought three circuit specific updates. Two of these, the low colling front brake duct introduced to the MCL38’s front corner, and the new RBD cooling exit introduced to the rear corner, are expected to improve overall cooling of these and associated components. The third circuit-specific update – a single-element beamwing for high downforce rear wing – is expected to more efficiently reduce drag “in conjunction with the high downforce rear wing assembly.”
McLaren’s closest rivals, Red Bull, however, have brought significantly fewer updates to the Circuit of the Americas, with Document 6 listing only two. The first of these is a performance-related update to the floor edge. As stated by Document 6, this update sees the revision of the edge of the wing camber “over rearward third” and is expected to enable the increased local load generation while maintaining flow stability. The Milton Keynes-based team has also brought a circuit-specific update to the RB20’s coke/engine cover. This update, which Document 6 states includes the lowering of the sidepod upper surface and the re-profiling of the floor junction curve, is expected to improve the car’s cooling range.
Likewise, Red Bull’s sister team, Visa Cash App RB, which sits sixth in the WDC with 34 points, has only brought a single performance-related update to Austin. As listed in Document 6, the Faenza-based team has introduced profile changes to the main underfloor and chassis interface of the VCARB 01 with the aim of increasing local downforce generation, and subsequently, improving local load generation.
Another of McLaren’s rivals, Scuderia Ferrari, have brought even fewer updates to the United States Grand Prix, with Document 6 stated that the Maranello-based team had submitted no updates for the event, as of the car presentation. Ferrari, which currently sits third in the WCC with 441 points – just 34 less than Red Bull and 72 less than championship leaders McLaren – are one of only two teams which have come to Austin without even a single update in hand, and with the title race heating up, the team, like eighth-place Williams Racing, will be hoping that their lack of updates will not prove detrimental to their performance.
Meanwhile, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, has approached the United States Grand Prix in a manner similar to McLaren, bringing a total of six updates, four of which are performance-related, to the Circuit of the Americas. As described in Document 6, the Brackley-based team, which sits fourth in the WCC, has introduced a change in the flap twist distribution of the W15 and re-profiled the upper wishbone fairing of their front suspension to improve the flow to the rear of the car as well as the rear downforce. Mercedes has also reprofiled the inboard fence of their W15 floor to improve local pressure distribution and position or vorticity, which is expected to improve both local and downstream load through better onset flow. Mercedes has also added an additional vane element to the floor edge wing to increase mass flow under the forward floor, thereby increasing vorticity shed from the fence system and subsequently, increasing the floor load. Mercedes have also introduced two circuit specific updates – a change in the lower lip geometry of the sidepod inlet and the addition of cooling exits local to rear suspension legs – which aim to improve the cooling range of the W15 and its respective.
Another team which has brought six updates to the United States Grand Prix is Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team. However, unlike Mercedes, the Silverstone-based team, has introduced only performance-related updates which aim to improve local load generation in the AMR24. These, as listed in Document 6, include the introduction of a new front wing with a revised twist distribution alongside a new flap in combination with revised tip details on the endplate which aim to modify the spanwise loading of the wing assembly and subsequently improve the performance of the AMR24. Aston Martin have also made changes to the coke/engine cover, floor body, floor edge and diffuser which, in combination, are expected to improve the flowfield under the floor, thereby increasing the local load generated on the lower surface.
Like McLaren, seventh-place MoneyGram Haas F1 Team has introduced seven updates – five of which are performance-related and the remaining two of which are circuit specific. As stated in Document 6, the Kannapolis-based team has introduced a deeper undercut of the sidepod inlet of the VF-24 and revised the floor fence alignment to improve the car’s flow conditioning. The team have also attempted to improve local load generation through the revision of the initial floor expansion and diffuser geometry, and introduction of a new floor edge wing and an additional element on the IB cascade. In addition to these the team have adopted a larger engine cover central exit and introduced a new cooling louver design on the sidepod and engine cover which they expect will increase heat extraction and facilitate the minimisation of the drag penalty.
Meanwhile, nineth-place BWT Alpine F1 Team have re-profiled various parts of the main floor body and redesigned the floor edge of the A524 with the aim of improving floor flow quality, thereby increasing the load generated by the floor. The Enstone-based team have also re-profiled the rear wing main plane and flap with the aim of improving efficiency with more rear wing loading and reshaped the bodywork of the A524 to improve overall flow conditioning and improve the interactions between the floor and rear of the car.
Tenth-place Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber have also introduced four updates, all with the aim of improving the flow conditioning of their C44. As listed in Document 6, the Hinwill-based team, have updated all elements of the C44’s front updated the front suspension, pullrod, track rod, and lower wishbone covers with the aim of improving the front tyre flow structures, and subsequently the overall downforce and aerodynamic characteristics of the car. The team, which has yet to score a single point this season, has also revised the rear top wishbone cover and updated the upper rear brake duct deflectors, with the aim of improving local flow and efficiency.
As shown from the upgrades listed in Document 6, it is obvious that improved aerodynamics and load generation capacity are top priorities for most, if not all, of the ten F1 teams, and that there is significant concern that warm temperatures expected at the Circuit of the Americas will hinder teams’ performances during the weekend’s various sessions.
However, regardless of the number of updates which have been brought, and whether the updates are circuit specific or not, all ten teams will be hoping that they have made the decision that maximises their chances for a strong performance throughout the United States Grand Prix weekend. Perhaps more than that, the teams, especially those currently fighting for the top positions in both the WCC and WDC will be hoping that their rivals’ updates will go in the wrong direction. This hope is likely to be particularly strong for both McLaren and Red Bull, and perhaps even for Ferrari and Mercedes. After all, with the title fight heating up, and especially with the season rapidly nearing its end, those top four teams will be well aware that every point lost by their rival will be one which improves their own fight. This is especially true for McLaren’s Lando Norris, who, with a 52-point deficit to Max Verstappen, will need to score an average of 8.833 points more than Verstappen per race weekend to win the 2024 World Driver’s Championship.
