F1 evolutionary packages: upgrades for McLaren, often downgrades for Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes
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Since Formula 1 entered the current technical cycle, the famous “update packages” have become a thorny issue. Until the 1980s, teams were reluctant to tamper with a winning car, but then came the era of full-time developments with technical departments working ’24/7′ throughout the season. However, since last year, something has changed; teams have continued to bring ‘upgrades’ to the track, but often these have turned out to be ‘downgrades.’ A real nightmare for engineers, who found themselves dealing with new problems when they thought they had solved known ones.
“No one will admit it, but today when we install new parts on the cars, we cross our fingers,” admitted one engineer. “There's no longer that perfect correlation between the track and simulations that for years gave us confidence in our choices. Just look at the faces of the technicians when they bring new items to the track on Friday.” Some cross their fingers, while others are faced with a choice that could prove crucial for the world championship results of the 2024 season. After the resounding success in the Singapore Grand Prix, Andrea Stella admitted that the prospect of modifying the MCL38 is not among the easiest choices. The team has a package of new parts ready for the Austin weekend, but Norris's confirmed dominance at Marina Bay has sparked some doubts among Woking's engineers.
“It’s one of my concerns,” admitted the McLaren team principal. “We have some things in the works, but when you find yourself with such performances, you have to be cautious with developments. I think we need to trust the working method we’ve had so far, but we'll take all the necessary time to ensure what we bring to the track aligns with our expectations.” So far, McLaren has made a difference precisely on this front, standing out for the immediate efficiency of every technical development brought to the track.
In other garages, the 2024 Formula 1 season has seen very different outcomes. Mercedes complicated matters with a floor introduced at Spa that never lived up to the team's expectations. Red Bull, on the other hand, found themselves dealing with new problems due to updates introduced at Zandvoort, quickly reverting to the floor from the start of the season. Ferrari fared no better, experiencing bouncing issues after introducing the ‘Barcelona’ package, while Aston Martin was forced to remove new parts from the cars brought to Imola due to drivability issues.
McLaren seems to have better correlation, and thanks to this advantage, it’s very likely the team will continue with its work plan. But on Friday in Austin, as they wait for the track to deliver its verdict, there will be some anxiety. “In Formula 1, you can't hold back,” Andrea Stella admitted, “because it means exposing yourself to rivals catching up, and we don't know the plans of the other teams. We're very competitive, it's true, but I think we need to continue being aggressive in terms of development.”
The situation is very different at Red Bull. The results after the summer break confirmed that the current RB20 cannot trouble McLaren, so any update will be welcome as there's nothing to lose. A very different picture from last year when the RB19 was confirmed capable of dominating from the first to the last race. However, after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Christian Horner surprised many by referring back to the 2023 season while discussing the current car's issues.
“Obviously, the performance drop this season has been the subject of many analyses on our part,” he revealed. “And we discovered that the first mistake was made with the floor we introduced last year in the Spanish Grand Prix. Looking back in hindsight, we found that Checo started having problems that weekend, but we didn't take his situation seriously because Max won the race…”
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