F1 2026 uncovered: Australian Grand Prix revealed key design innovations
The Australian Grand Prix marked the first time that we could really take a close look under the covers of this new generation of machines.
Join us as we delve into all of the best technical details on display at the first race of the season, in Australia.
Australian Grand Prix: Digging into the details…
A look under the front brake drum covers on the Aston Martin AMR26 reveals the window-style approach taken around the brake disc fairing. Notably there’s large drill holes in the surface that buttresses the disc too.
A close up of the internal layout of the front brake duct assembly on the VCARB03.
Another shot of the Racing Bulls VCARB03 front brake assembly, this time without the inner drum present, which shows how the brake disc and caliper are faired-in.
A close up of the rear corner of the diffuser, floor winglet and rear brake duct fence on the Mercedes W17, all of which are designed to work together to extract more performance. Note the team are also using a semi-detached vertical vane that’s hung from the side of the diffuser’s wall too.
A rear view of the Ferrari SF-26, with their diffuser chute extension and FMT exhaust flap both visible.
An overview of the rear wing endplate on the McLaren MCL40, which has a steep upwash swage line embedded in it.
The rear wing on the Mercedes W17, which has a carefully managed endplate design to complement the flap extensions that they have in the outermost corners of the upper flap.
Williams introduced an update for the tyre spat region of the FW48’s floor in Australia, with a vertical vane added in the rearmost, outer corner.
For comparison, here’s the old configuration for the rear tyre spat region on the Williams FW48.
Peeking into the Red Bull garage we’re able to get a look at their powerunit and how the ancillaries and coolers are packed in around it.
The powerunit installed in the back of the RB22, with a saddle cooler arrangement above. Also interesting to note how Red Bull and Racing Bulls are still doing things differently, despite using the same powerunit.
The Racing Bulls VCARB03 internal layout and a look at the powerunit from the right-hand side.
The Williams FW48 in the garage with the bodywork off reveals some details on the layout of the Mercedes powerunit and how they’ve handled packaging their coolers around it.
A shot of the Audi R26 early in the build process shows how narrow the main outline of the sidepods are.
A close up of the deflector array on the McLaren MCL40, which has a two-piece sail-like upper segment and two lower slats, which are angled differently to align with the sectional allowances in the regulations.
An overview of the front suspension, deflector array and sidepod corner on the Mercedes W17, with the small cooling louvre panel on the upper surface of the sidepod also to be noted.
For comparison, a similar angle of the Red Bull RB22, showing their front suspension, deflector array and sidepod arrangement.
A side view of the McLaren MCL40’s slender and elongated nose tip, with the actuator rods for their active aero also visible as they protrude out the side of the nose. Also note the tyre sensor has been incorporated into the trailing edge of the front wing’s diveplane.
Haas have gone a different way to most of their rivals with the design of their footplate, with a squared-off profile creating a ridgeline over the surfaces’ back. Meanwhile, the tyre sensor and pod sits on top of their diveplane.
A close up of the twin vane arrangement on the footplate of the Cadillac MAC-26’s front wing
Aston Martin, meanwhile, have both a vane on the footplate and a downsloping diveplane of the AMR26’s front wing.
Another angle of the Haas VF-26’s front wing, which shows how that ridge line forms across the footplates span and how it terminates ahead of the front tyre.
Racing Bulls mechanics work on the rear end of the VCARB03, which provides us with a great view of the rear suspension’s layout and the internal structure of the rear brake drum arrangement.
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