Mercedes, Haas look ahead to F1 2024 with big US Grand Prix upgrades
Mercedes stack their front wings outside their garage in Austin.
Mercedes and Haas have arrived at the United States Grand Prix armed with upgrades that are set to inform the development of their F1 2024 cars.
Mercedes came into 2023 aiming to return to title contention, but remain without a win with five races left having been forced to pursue a new design philosophy with the W14 car.
The Brackley-based team, who hold a 28-point lead over Ferrari in the fight for second place in the Constructors’ Championship, have brought a new floor to Austin in what has been described as Mercedes’ last major upgrade of the season.
Mercedes, Haas lead the way with Austin F1 upgrades
As well as bringing more performance to the current car, Mercedes are hopeful that the revised floor will be a key step towards establishing a development path for next year’s W15.
The United States GP marks Haas’s second of three home rounds in 2023, meanwhile, with the American team celebrating the arrival of a so-called B-spec at the Circuit of The Americas.
With most teams expected to switch to the Red Bull concept next season, the heavily revised VF-23 has been described by experts as a “white Red Bull” and features changes to the front corner, floor, sidepod inlets, engine cover and cooling louvres.
Haas currently sit second-bottom in the Constructors’ Championship, but remain hopeful the new-look car will allow the team to eradicate the 11-point gap to Williams in seventh.
Without a podium since the Dutch GP in August, Aston Martin are at risk of slipping to fifth in the standings this weekend following the emergence of McLaren, now just 11 points adrift.
The green team have responded by bringing a big upgrade of their own to Austin, with changes focused on the floor, diffuser, engine cover and beam wing.
AlphaTauri are set to welcome back Daniel Ricciardo this weekend after the Australian broke his hand in a practice crash at Zandvoort, with the Red Bull junior team bringing a range of new parts in the hope of getting off the foot of the Constructors’ Championship.
The Faenza team have brought a new floor, engine cover, rear corner as well as other modifications related to the chassis. Alfa Romeo (floor) are the only other team to bring an upgrade to this race.
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At the Qatar GP earlier this month, Mercedes technical director James Allison spoke of the importance for teams to get it right with the 2024 car, which will form the basis for 2025 as attention gradually turns to F1’s next major rule changes in 2026.
He told Sky F1: “2026 [is] big rule change again, tear everything up, start all over again – and that will have to be done in the 2025 season under a cost cap.
“So in order to have the sort of firepower to do that, it’s going to mean that probably [the] 2025 car will not be all new, which means that what you do for ’24 will echo into ’25 as well because a lot of carryover will have to happen.
“So [it’s] hugely important to set the tone for what 2024 and 2025 will turn into.”
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