How Aston Martin’s F1 Rework Led to Pit Gear Modifications

Tucked under the rear end of Aston Martin’s AMR23, an intriguing bowtie-shaped winglet has made its appearance. This little piece of aerodynamic wizardry was designed to cooperate with alterations made to the diffuser’s surface.

While the team decided against actually racing the part, let’s not kid ourselves—this isn’t a trinket you add just because it looks cool. The engineering squad at Aston Martin obviously labored over getting this part on the car, which hints at its significant benefits.

Now, let’s get to the juicy bit: the installation of this winglet forced the team to re-engineer its pit stop equipment. Specifically, eyeballs were popping when a redesigned rear lifting jack was seen in the Zandvoort pit lane.

You see, the standard jack design, usually just a basic cup-shaped mechanism, would slide under the car’s crash structure to hoist it up during a pit stop. However, pair that old jack with the new winglet and you’re basically asking to snap the thing. And snap it did during some test runs, which might explain the winglet’s absence from the race.

To dodge a Groundhog Day of winglet wreckage, Aston Martin redesigned the rear jack’s cup, ensuring it could coexist peacefully with the new winglet when the car is lifted for a pit stop.

Now, the ball is in other teams’ courts. Will they think this winglet is worth the fuss, given it needs not just an install but also a jack redesign?

Alongside this, the AMR23 also sports changes to the undercarriage and floor fences, as well as a new twist in the design of the engine cover bodywork. The previous design featured a cooling vent that married a shark fin above it. The new kid in town flips this setup, shortening the fin and reattaching it to the cover. The most noticeable change here is in the cooling outlet’s shape, which is now flattened, affecting the airflow over its rear end.

Minor Adjustments to the Mercedes W14

Mercedes isn’t sitting still either; they’ve made a series of tweaks to their W14 beast. The edge wing at the car’s front has been a playground of changes all through 2023, with the team constantly fiddling to balance the car’s performance across various tracks.

During the Belgian Grand Prix, the team made the choice to remove a rear strake and then modify the scroll’s height and length, along with a shiny metal finish to some lower strakes. They’ve also fine-tuned the inboard mirror and reinstalled vortex generators that had previously been left out.

At the car’s back, Mercedes brought out a new beam wing setup, which should help with the flow dynamics between the diffuser and the rear wing.

Haas’s Design Evolution

Haas, too, decided to unveil a fresh front wing at the Dutch Grand Prix, chock-full of intriguing aerodynamic features. The most evident tweak is the reduction of slot gap separator brackets from five to four between the third and fourth elements. This is a strategy first toyed with by Mercedes last year but never actually taken to the tracks due to legality issues.

Interestingly, Haas has also integrated a third flap pivot for better wing stability and continued to use two winglets above these flaps—though they’re likely tweaked to work with the other changes.

So, whether it’s Aston Martin’s revolutionary winglet or Haas’s aerodynamic flips, it’s clear that the F1 pit lanes are more like high-speed laboratories on wheels. Keep an eye out, because this season is just getting started.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about F1 Upgrades

More about F1 Upgrades

• Aston Martin’s F1 Team Official Site
• F1 Technical Regulations for 2023
• Mercedes AMG F1 Team News
• Haas F1 Team Updates
• A Closer Look at F1 Aerodynamics
• Pit Stop Procedures in Formula 1
• Zandvoort Circuit Information
• F1 2023 Season Overview
• Understanding F1 Car Upgrades