Biggest Australian Grand Prix Tech Updates

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For those new to the series: Before every race the teams submit a list of new parts to the FIA that they have brought with them for the race weekend to run on their cars. I then take a look at the ones that have caught my eye and bring them to you in more detail and explain just what the teams are hoping to get from the updates. 

Some things to note when reviewing these upgrades are that: Just because they are at the track does not mean they are on the car.

The teams have until Qualifying before they go into Parc Ferme - where they can no longer make adjustments to the set-up of the car. This means that there may be occasions where a team brings an update but it does not give them the gains or the data they expected, so they make changes or the weather changes things. They may only choose to have them on one car due to parts, data correlation, etc...

The final point to remember is that the teams only have to declare their update once, and providing they don’t make any changes to that part, they can use it at any track without it going on the update submission - even if they didn’t use it when it was first introduced. So, we could see a part on the Australian Grand Prix list not used on the car, and then come back later in the season and, although, it would not appear on the updates it would technically be an update to performance! 

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So, with all of that, let's dive into a summary of who has brought updates with them before heading into the detail. I must warn you, as it’s the opening race, it’s a rather large list - which is to be expected.

The updates are split into two: Circuit-specific, meaning it’s been brought with that track’s characteristics in mind. Performance, which means it’s been brought as an update to boost performance and means we normally see it stay on the car. You can see the FULL list above - as I said, there are a lot.

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McLaren

Brake Duct

One of the things that McLaren have been keen to keep under wraps are their revised brake ducts. In testing, we didn’t see these up close, and this could be one of the things that Zak Brown alluded to, when he spoke after testing, that there were some things under the cover. According to the car submission list, these revised brake duct winglets have a revised geometry, which will result in an improved flow conditioning and result in an improvement of overall aerodynamic performance downstream. The team has also added a lower cooling scoop which results in a lower cooling option, converting reduced brake cooling demand into increased aerodynamic performance. 

This area is has a fine balance and a major impact on the car and tyre wear. This could be a reason that McLaren seem to be able to control the degradation of the tires a lot more than other teams. The larger the duct, the more cooling - as the duct sucks in air to cool the brakes down. However, they also negatively affect aerodynamics, so a trade-off is needed. With brake temperatures reaching over 1000 degrees, which is similar to molten lava, you can see just why this area is critical to the team.

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Ferrari

Front Suspension

One of the major changes of the season has come from Ferrari, who have changed their front suspension from a push-rod system to a pull-rod system.

The reason behind this is that the team feels that they reached the development ceiling with the push-rod system in last year’s car, and by changing it, has allowed them to unlock several development paths. These paths are all centered around the placement of the upper and lower wishbones and the flow of air that comes from the front wing.

By moving to the new system, this allows a greater degree of anti-dive to be built into the geometry, in turn, allowing the car to be run lower and enhancing the downforce created by the underbody at high speeds. It also allows the team to move the car’s center of gravity as the pull-rod system operates in traction. It is positioned lower in the car, making this change possible, but it does mean that set up can be tricky due to a lack of access to the area.

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Red Bull

Front Wing and Nose

Where do I start here? With 17 updates to the RB21, we could have had a whole Tech Corner on Red Bull, to be honest.

My focus, though, is on a topic of debate and a game-changer from last season, and that is the front wing flexing.

If you cast your mind back, you will remember that Red Bull was one of the teams who did not have a wing that flexed to the degree of McLaren and Mercedes, in particular. They decided to wait for clarification from the FIA on the legality of these flexi wings due to the cost cap before proceeding with their development. The FIA first said they were legal and no changes were coming, hence why the teams who didn’t have these on their cars ran to get them developed.

However, the FIA changed their minds - saying that from the Spanish GP, the tests on the amount of flex allowed in these front wings will be changing, making them obsolete. For the moment, they are here, and here is the Red Bull version.

The team has said that the wing has redistributed loading across the elements, seeking improved load while maintaining flow stability with the nose design changing as a consequence of the new front wing. The reason for this is that the front wing will be stiff enough at low speeds to generate sufficient downforce to avoid understeer. While at high speeds, it will flex to shift the aerodynamic balance and reduce the tendency for oversteer. Another side product of the front wing flex is that on the straights, the top speed can be increased as the flex allows for a reduction in drag, particularly if the straights are long.

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Mercedes

Rear Wing

While the W16 has made changes to cooling and sidepods, as we covered those in my Testing Tech Corner, I’ve focused on the new rear wing the team have introduced.

The team have said that they made improvements to the section profiling by cleaning up the tip flow structures, improving the efficiency while maintaining the wing load.

The rear wing is a crucial choice in a race weekend and is often one of the parts we see changed depending on the characteristics of the track. A more loaded rear wing will produce more downforce and grip, but will increase drag and make the car slower. Meanwhile, a less loaded wing will result in better straight line speed but will make the car more difficult in the corners, so it is a trade-off to get right.

The weather also plays a part and this weekend, with rain, you tend to add more load on the rear wing to increase the downforce and maximize grip, but with a dry qualifying like the one planned here, you’re going to lose performance and places on Saturday.

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Aston Martin

Sidepod Inlets

One team that has the eyes of the paddock on them is Aston Martin, with the legendary designer Adrian Newey now at the Silverstone-based team.

Although these updates predate his arrival, the AMR 25 has gone through a lot of changes compared to the 2024 AMR 24, that really struggled for performance.

The part I wanted to highlight is the sidepod inlet that has been revised to be positioned below the upper lip of the Aston Martin. This change was included to manage the flow of air to the rear of the car, while making sure there is enough flow to cool the car to avoid overheating.

The way this works is - the flow from the side pods cools the engines, and, even though, we are in the final year of these regulations, we are still seeing different designs in these areas from P shapes to vertical inlets with over and under bites. This proves that one size certainly doesn’t fit all in this area.

Aston Martin, have also introduced a new engine cover and cooling louvres to complement this new design. The team will, of course, be hoping Adrian can help push this car even further despite having a 2026 focus. 

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So, that’s my top 5 updates for this weekend! As I said, I could have done so much more with so many new features on the car, and it’s thrilling to see who has got it right and who still has work to do. As for Tech Corner, it will be back for round 2 in China!

You can also find me on the Fantasy Formula here on FanAmp, where I will be bringing the tech to the world of Fantasy F1 once more for 2025 with Adam and our new host, Zach.

Don’t forget, we also have our feature league for you to join and all the latest on the F1 Fantasy game.

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See you all next time!

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