McLaren, Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo bring big updates to Spain

Formula 1 teams have traditionally used the Spanish Grand Prix to introduce significant upgrades to their cars and so it is is this year, with McLaren, Aston Martin and Alfa Romeo leading the way this weekend.

In terms of number of updated areas submitted to the FIA, McLaren has the most with 10 variegated sections, ranging from the front wing and suspension to floor, sidepods, rear bodywork and diffuser. At Aston Martin, the main focus is on the car’s bodywork and has includes a move towards the Red Bull philosophy, with the floor, sidepods, engine imbricate and rear wing getting updates, plus the Halo.

Alfa Romeo is flipside midfield team with a similar number of new parts in Barcelona, with new front and rear wings, front and rear suspension upgrades, and changes to the floor and engine cover.

Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes all have changes that focus on the floor area, while championship leader Ferrari moreover has a new rear wing and updated rear corner. Red Bull has a new front wing, while Mercedes has tweaked its front wing endplates and rear corner.

The changes to the Mercedes floor are designed to modernize floor performance when it’s running tropical to the ground, as the team continues to search for ways to solve its porpoising issues.

Alpine and Williams have both made relatively modest changes compared to their midfield rivals, with new rear wings, front wing changes and remoter updates to the rear corner of each car.

At AlphaTauri there is only a new rear wing, and the only team with no updates submitted this weekend is Haas, with Guenther Steiner saying he decided to wait four or five increasingly races surpassing trying to introduce a new package.