Six Formula 1 teams have officially declared technical updates for the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with Audi bringing the most extensive overhaul of the Baku weekend and McLaren introducing another substantial aerodynamic package. Red Bull, Williams, Racing Bulls and Cadillac have also submitted changes to the FIA, while Ferrari is among five teams with no new components declared for this event.
The FIA documentation shows that the development work is about considerably more than simply cutting drag for Baku’s exceptionally long full-throttle section. Much of the focus is instead on improving airflow quality, extracting local aerodynamic load and making the floor, bodywork and rear-end structures work more effectively as integrated systems. That is particularly relevant at a circuit where straight-line efficiency has to coexist with the demands of the slower sections and the 2026 energy-management challenge in Baku.
Audi brings the biggest 2026 Azerbaijan GP upgrade package
Audi has declared the most comprehensive collection of new parts, with changes stretching from the nose and front wing all the way to the rear-wing assembly. Rather than targeting one isolated weakness, the team has effectively created a new aerodynamic flow structure across almost the entire car.
At the front, Audi has introduced a completely new front-wing assembly together with a revised nose fairing. The front-wing endplates are part of the same redesign. The objective is to improve the quality of the airflow travelling towards the rest of the car while also producing the balance required by the wider package.
The front suspension fairings have consequently been changed as well. Their profiles have been adapted to integrate with the new nose and front wing, ensuring that the aerodynamic structures created at the front of the car continue to work as intended further downstream.
The floor represents an even larger intervention. Audi has brought what the FIA documentation describes as a completely new floor, covering the main floor body, the leading-edge devices and the diffuser. All of those surfaces have been redesigned with the aim of delivering a more substantial increase in aerodynamic load.
That new floor has required changes higher up the car too. The bodywork and the so-called Coke or engine-cover region have been revised, while the Halo fairing has also been modified. The associated cooling options are intended to operate with the upgraded bodywork while improving the management of the airflow structures travelling towards the back of the car.
Audi’s rear suspension fairings and the aerodynamic elements around the rear brake inlets have also changed. These revisions are designed to complete the new rear-end flow field and increase aerodynamic performance in that area.
Finally, the rear-wing system has been extensively updated. The beam wing, main rear wing and rear-wing endplate form part of a revised assembly conceived as an integral element of Audi’s overall Baku package rather than as a standalone circuit-specific adjustment.
McLaren overhauls airflow management from sidepods to diffuser
McLaren has brought another of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix’s major packages, with development extending from the sidepod inlet through the floor and diffuser and into the rear suspension. The changes are designed to work together, reshaping how air is conditioned and then exploited further downstream.
The sidepod inlet has a revised shape intended to improve airflow travelling towards the rear of the MCL40. That work continues into the engine cover and Coke line, which have been redesigned alongside the inlet to improve downstream flow conditioning.
McLaren also has an alternative sidepod-bodywork shape available. This gives the team another configuration with different aerodynamic characteristics, allowing engineers to choose between the available specifications depending on the requirements of the car.
The cooling arrangement forms part of the same development programme. McLaren has changed both the position and layout of the cooling louvres, with the goal of extracting the maximum aerodynamic performance while still accommodating different cooling requirements.
Changes to the bodywork-generated flow field are then exploited lower down by a redesigned floor edge. The diffuser has also been revised to operate with that new flow structure and increase aerodynamic performance. Further downstream, the rear suspension fairings have been adapted because the upstream conditions reaching them have changed.
The final element is especially relevant to Baku. McLaren has modified its medium-downforce isochronous rear wing so that the flap can adopt a different position when Straight Line Mode is activated. The intention is to achieve a larger reduction in aerodynamic drag along the straights.
The scale of the package was already one of the main technical talking points around the opening running in Azerbaijan, alongside Ferrari’s contrasting approach. The broader Friday picture can be followed in our Azerbaijan GP FP1 report.
Red Bull links new floor and diffuser to sidepod changes
Red Bull’s upgrade is concentrated primarily underneath and around the central section of the car, with the floor and diffuser forming the basis of a coordinated development package.
Successive development iterations have produced revised floor and diffuser geometries intended to create greater local aerodynamic load without sacrificing flow stability. The sidepod has consequently been changed at its junction with the floor, helping support the new aerodynamic behaviour generated in that area.
The cooling louvres have also been revised so that they integrate with the modified sidepod. Red Bull has retained the cooling-level range that was previously available rather than using the upgrade to change the car’s overall cooling capacity.
Smaller but related changes appear further forward. The mirror geometry has been modified to improve airflow conditioning towards downstream components, helping the new package generate additional local load.
There is also a detail change to the Halo fairing. A flow deflector has been revised to feed the components behind it more effectively, with Red Bull seeking greater flow stability and improved load generation from the complete configuration.
Williams develops both the FW48 floor and rear-end airflow
Williams has submitted another significant package for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Its central feature is a reworked floor, with the front and outer portions redesigned to improve performance both locally and across the car’s main underfloor surfaces.
The tail geometry has subsequently been revised to operate with the new floor and make better use of the aerodynamic conditions generated by the updated package.
Williams has also changed the front-corner aerodynamic geometries. The aim is to improve airflow management in that region and deliver cleaner, more useful air towards components positioned further back on the FW48.
The rear suspension fairings have been adapted to the altered flow field, while the aerodynamic elements associated with the rear brake ducts have also been modified. Those rear-corner revisions focus on improving airflow management around the rear wheels and integrating the entire rear section with the rest of the package.
Racing Bulls concentrates all its development at the front
Racing Bulls has taken a very different route, concentrating its entire declared update package around the front of the car. A new front-wing assembly forms the starting point, with its geometry designed to establish a cleaner flow field and improve the effectiveness of aerodynamic surfaces located further downstream.
The team has also introduced a new brake inlet and revised front-corner profile. These changes work together with the front wing to manage air travelling downstream and around the chassis.
The front suspension has been modified for the same reason, with updated profiles for the suspension elements. The combined objective of the wing, front-corner and suspension work is to improve the quality of the airflow reaching the rest of the car and allow the floor to perform more effectively.
Cadillac targets brake cooling and local diffuser load
Cadillac’s list is shorter, with the development programme divided between thermal management at the front and aerodynamic performance at the rear.
The front-corner geometry now features updated inlet and outlet duct profiles for the brakes. The revision increases the cooling capacity available to the front brakes while seeking to retain good airflow quality towards the rear of the car.
Because those changes alter conditions around the front corner, Cadillac has also revised the surfaces of the front suspension fairings. Their role is to remain compatible with the new brake-duct and front-corner geometry and preserve the intended flow structure.
At the opposite end of the car, the lower-edge geometry of the diffuser winglet has been modified. Cadillac expects the revised profile to increase local aerodynamic load across a wider range of operating conditions.
Ferrari declares no new Baku upgrade for the SF-26
Ferrari has not declared any technical upgrades for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The FIA document therefore places the Scuderia alongside Mercedes, Aston Martin, Haas and Alpine as the five teams without officially listed new components for Baku.
For the Maranello team, the absence of a declared upgrade means the weekend is centred on extracting performance from the existing SF-26 specification and finding the right configuration for the unusual demands of the circuit rather than introducing a newly homologated aerodynamic package. Ferrari’s ongoing technical direction and previous SF-26 developments can be followed through the site’s Ferrari technical analysis coverage.
Baku nevertheless places particular importance on areas that have already been under close examination on the SF-26, including straight-line performance and energy deployment. Friday running has given Ferrari further data on those compromises, with the team working to understand how best to distribute electrical energy over the lap. Our detailed analysis of the SF-26’s Baku deployment and setup work explores that challenge in more depth.
Why the Baku upgrades are not simply low-drag packages
The full FIA list is revealing because Baku might initially appear to favour almost exclusively low-drag development. Instead, only part of the work is explicitly aimed at reducing resistance on the straights.
McLaren’s specific rear-wing adjustment is the clearest example of a drag-focused solution, exploiting Straight Line Mode to achieve a more pronounced reduction in resistance. Across the other packages, however, the recurring priorities are flow conditioning and local load generation.
Audi’s redesign connects the front wing, floor, bodywork and complete rear-wing assembly. Red Bull has tied its floor development to the sidepod, mirrors and Halo. Williams has integrated its new underfloor geometry with front-corner, suspension and rear-brake aerodynamic changes, while Racing Bulls is using its revised front end to improve how the floor is supplied with airflow.
That illustrates the broader challenge of the 2026 cars. Aerodynamic efficiency cannot be considered only through the amount of wing being carried. The quality of the airflow reaching the floor and rear of the car, the stability of those structures and the ability to generate useful load all remain fundamental even at a venue dominated by a very long straight.
The competitive effect of the packages will only become clearer as the weekend develops and the teams gather representative data on their new configurations. For Ferrari fans, the comparison with upgraded rivals will be especially significant because the Scuderia is racing without a declared new package. The season-long performance picture between the Italian team and its competitors can also be explored through the Ferrari vs F1 rivals statistics.
Six teams take different development routes in Azerbaijan
The final FIA picture therefore divides the grid clearly. Audi has chosen the most aggressive route, changing almost every major aerodynamic region. McLaren has undertaken extensive work from the sidepod inlet to the rear wing, while Red Bull and Williams have introduced coordinated packages built around floor performance and airflow management.
Racing Bulls has focused entirely on improving the front-end flow structure, while Cadillac’s smaller package addresses brake cooling and diffuser load. Mercedes, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Haas and Alpine have declared no upgrades.
Baku will now provide the practical test of whether those development choices deliver the intended results. The remaining track sessions and race start times are available in the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix schedule, with the wider season programme available through the 2026 Formula 1 calendar.
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