F1 team upgrades revealed for Hungarian Grand Prix

Sam Cooper
Mick Schumacher follows Haas team-mate Kevin Magnussen. Austria, July 2022.

Mick Schumacher follows his Haas team-mate Kevin Magnussen in a sprint race. Austria, July 2022.

Having not brought an upgrade all season, Haas have fitted seven to their car ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Haas exploded out of the gate and, having been perennial back-markers in 2021, they started the season with a P5 finish for the returning Kevin Magnussen.

But the car that produced that remarkable performance is pretty much the same one that raced last time out at the Paul Ricard circuit.

Haas have long said upgrades are on their way and the day has come with a bumper package introduced for the final race before the summer break.

Here is a rundown of all the teams and what upgrades they have brought to Budapest.

Alfa Romeo

Just one update from Alfa with a redesigned floor featuring updated elements and a reprofiled main body which will generate more downforce while only marginally increasing drag.

AlphaTauri

AlphaTauri also have just the one upgrade which comes on the rear wing with its revised tip geometry to provide better performance specific to the Hungaroring.

Alpine

Alpine have revised their beam wing in the hope it will reduce drag with “very little” loss of downforce compared to the one used from the Spanish Grand Prix to the Monaco Grand Prix.

Aston Martin

With the challenges of the Hungaroring in mind, Aston Martin have fitted their maximum downforce wing which they say will suit the low efficiency circuit characteristics by increasing rear wing load.

Ferrari

No upgrades for Ferrari this weekend.

Haas

The much anticipated Haas upgrades have arrived as the team has fitted seven new parts but only to Kevin Magnussen’s car.

There has been substantial work done to the floor with changes to the body, fences and edge. The main underbody and diffuser have changed to increase downforce after the team said they had gained a better interpretation of the 2022 regulations.

All the floor fences have been optimised for better air flow while the floor edge has been changed geometrically to better condition the edge flows which interact with the updated body.

The coke shape and engine cover has been changed to bring greater diffusion on the top deck and smoother transition between the pod front and coke sidewall. At the rear, an additional cooling exit has been introduced around the rear suspension legs. This will help to better manage air flow.

The new coke shape has had a knock-on effect on the cooling louvres which have been changed to avoid unfavourable interaction of cooling flow with the downforce producing elements at the rear.

The last two upgrades come at the rear with the suspension legs being changed to best align onset flows which are caused by the revised bodywork. The rear brakes have also been redesigned to reduce flow losses to the winglets behind it.

McLaren

McLaren have introduced two upgrades, one specific to the circuit and one permanent.

The circuit specific one comes at the front corner with an updated geometry that features a modified internal ducting and increased exit area results in improved front brake booking.

The permanent upgrades come on the diffuser where flow conditioning surfaces have been added to the underside of the floor to improve local flow structures across the operating range.

Mercedes

Mercedes have made one change to the halo with a slat that helps improve flow to the rear of the car.

On the ring wing, new tips have been added to increase flow acceleration under the rear wing. Mercedes says the wing fitted is their max downforce one which is appropriate for the track.

Similarly, the beam wing with an increased camber is also the max downforce one Mercedes have.

Red Bull

Constructors’ Championship leaders Red Bull make just one change with a revision to the beam wing geometry which has been selected for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Williams

Williams join Ferrari in making no changes for this weekend’s grand prix.

 

Looking ahead to the Hungarian Grand Prix

The Hungarian Grand Prix is the final race before Formula 1's summer break.