Four teams have brought upgrades to the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Leading the way is Ferrari, as the team arrived in Bahrain with a new floor for the SF-25, one that both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton hope will help Ferrari close the gap to McLaren, as well as Max Verstappen, at the front of the F1 grid.
However, both of those teams are among the four that have upgrades for the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Here are the upgrades teams have brought to the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix.
What upgrades does Ferrari have at the Bahrain Grand Prix?
As noted above, the main upgrade Ferrari has this weekend is a new floor for the SF-25.
According to the team’s Car Presentation Submission — which you can view in full here at Document 10 — the upgrade contains new floor fences, a new floor body, a new floor edge, and a new diffuser. These are all aimed at improving the aerodynamic flow around the SF-25.
Described as “[n]ot event specific,” the upgrade package contains an
“updated front floor/fences targeting an improvement of the losses traveling downstream. The reshaped boat and tunnel expansion have been subsequently reoptimized, together with the floor edge loading and vorticity shedding into the diffuser.”
The team has also updated the “pillar winglet” on the rear wing, which Ferrari indicates will provide “minor” aerodynamic improvement.
What other teams have upgrades at the Bahrain Grand Prix?
As indicated above and in the Car Presentation Submissions document, McLaren and Red Bull both have minor upgrades this weekend. McLaren has a new front brake duct winglet, which the team states is “aiming at better flow conditioning, resulting in an improvement of overall aerodynamic performance.”
That component is on the inside of each front wheel:
As for Red Bull, they have two upgrades for the Bahrain Grand Prix. The first is on the front wing, where they have introduced a longer chord flap. Here are images of the RB21 in Bahrain, from the brilliant Albert Fabrega:
According to the team, the longer chord flap — the upper-most flap on the front wing — works as follows: “By extending the chord, the wing load potential is lifted giving more scope to attain the targeted aerobalance with the suite of rear wings available.”
Red Bull also increased the span of the cooling louvers along the engine cover, anticipating hotter weather. The bigger louvers will “give the car sufficient cooling capacity for all fluid circuits.”
The final upgrade comes from Haas, and is also related to the anticipated weather conditions. Haas introduced a wider engine cover exit, which according to the team will “allow more heat expulsion. This is an option which will only be used in case specific requirement.”
Which upgrades will reign supreme, if any?
We will find out this weekend.
