For the past two years, the FIA has been publishing the technical updates brought by teams for each Grand Prix, allowing for the tracking of development activities. Among the teams, there are substantial differences in productivity when it comes to updates, with some introducing novelties almost every race while others do so more sporadically. Quantity and quality are not necessarily synonymous, but these differences raise questions about their origin.
The weight of infrastructure
Counting updates is always a delicate operation, and the implications make it an inadvisable practice. When reporting changes in written form, teams express themselves differently. Some may limit themselves to declaring a generic update to the floor, while others go into specifics by listing changes to Venturi channels, flow conditioners, and diffusers. The very concept of what constitutes a new component can also vary since, in some cases, novelties are nothing more than small modifications to existing parts. Furthermore, costs, study times, and the production complexity of the various parts cannot be estimated solely based on quantity and size.
However, despite the necessary qualifications, the differences in the number of updates among teams can also be attributed to their organization and internal resources. “I think it’s related to a team’s development strategies,” says Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director. “Some teams don’t have large production facilities, so many pieces are outsourced. That’s why they might dedicate themselves to major development packages. Other teams, on the other hand, continuously mount small updates on the car, which they produce in-house at low cost. Overall, I think it mainly depends on production infrastructure.”
For example, in recent years, McLaren has invested significant resources to expand its production department, reducing reliance on external companies, leading to savings on the cost cap. Sauber, which is preparing for the arrival of Audi, is also looking to do the same in the short term. Team Representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi explains: “Some teams that don’t have the same production capacity as the top teams resort to external suppliers. This means fixed costs related to suppliers are discounted. The cost of the product and the final car is higher because the external manufacturer charges a depreciation fee. If we could invest in production capacity, we could reduce production costs, with a margin available for car development.”
The wind tunnel’s push
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However, other factors contribute to the different productive performance in development. One of these is trust in the correlation between the track and design tools. Introducing large update packages occasionally allows the team to stop, gather the necessary feedback, and reflect before launching the next package. On the other hand, rolling out novelties in succession indicates great confidence in their means. Andrew Shovlin adds, “It also depends on the aerodynamic philosophy: do you want to bring a big package to evaluate its effect? Or do you have confidence that the changes you make are going in the right direction, so you bring piece by piece?” – he concluded, ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix.
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