The downtime on track belies the team that is working hard to sign the upgrades and have them manufactured and shipped to Azerbaijan.

Since holes in the calendar mean there are fewer races at this time of year, any new parts can be installed sooner and improve performance for a longer period of time. Combined with a cost cap that prevents expensive shipments of excess items to the Middle East, Australia or Miami, it means expect a slew of new parts to be unveiled in Baku this weekend.

Here are the key areas each squad will need to focus on as the 2023 development wars kick off.

Alex Albon, Williams Racing FW45

Photography: Williams

williams

Chronic underinvestment does not happen overnight. As such, Williams is focused on the long term, so development of the FW45 will likely be abandoned early, with resources dedicated to 2024. There is still no permanent technical director to dictate a clear upgrade path, which makes this all the more likely.

In any case, the behavior of the car when entering low-speed corners must be addressed. In this regard, the unstable FW44 has made progress, but there is still room for improvement. A wayward balance erodes driver confidence as they either approach too tentatively or lock up the front tires too often.

The GPS data also showed that the Williams driver was slower to get back on the accelerator to point to the twitching rear axle than the Mercedes-powered McLaren team. The car also lacks overall downforce. The result is a design that is very efficient in a straight line. But when things get twisty, too much time is wasted.

Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri AT04

Photography: Red Bull Content Pool

Taurus

Although tied with Williams by one point, an analysis of pit stop times for races using the same tire compound showed that the AlphaTauri was undoubtedly the slowest in the field. The Faenza team is keenly aware of its shortcomings, as evidenced by the already redesigned floor in Australia.

This results in higher top speeds and a gain of one-tenth, as the AT04’s poor low-speed cornering habits are partially resolved. The team attributes the messy handling to the high rear ride height. This causes aerodynamic loads to drop under braking, creating an unstable rear axle.

Using the same Honda powertrain as Red Bull’s failure to match its sister team in speed traps also suggested too much drag. Both areas will be exposed by the divisive personality of the Baku layout, marked by a staccato first half to the final lap and the final lap sprint to the finish line.

Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo C43

Photography: Mark Sutton/ motorsport pictures

alfa romeo

After losing the 2022 development race for not having enough cash to hit the budget cap, Audi’s major new investment should keep Sauber in the game for longer. Therefore, it will have the capacity to address the straight-line deficit.

So far the C43 has proven to outperform its closest competitor, the Haas, in terms of braking, and enjoys decent mid-range acceleration – a trend reflected in the first three races. However, it consistently lags above 165mph as too much air resistance begins to differentiate the two Ferrari-powered squads.

This must be improved for the Alfa to be competitive in speed traps. In this era of ground effect, increasing the downforce generated underneath the car could theoretically allow teams to fit smaller front and rear wings to cut through the air more efficiently.

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-23

Photography: Lionel Ng / motorsport pictures

Hass

In the mini head-to-head with Alfa Romeo, Haas lost the race by one lap in the slowest corners, especially in the main stages of acceleration. From these characteristics, it is reasonable to suggest that the VF-23 is heavier or that its suspension setup is not well optimized.

During the race, although the abrasive Bahrain pitch was an anomaly, Haas was hampered by difficulties managing the Pirelli.

Things weren’t so serious in Saudi Arabia until Australia’s red flags muddied the waters. During the stoppage, Haas maintained strong straight-line performance and enjoyed a clearly strong DRS advantage. This should carry over well to the high-speed final sector in Baku. While overall downforce is less inspiring, Haas will wait until Spain to introduce the upgrade.

Pierre Gasly, Alpine A523

Photography: Glenn Dunbar/ motorsport pictures

high mountain

Alpine initially failed to achieve its goal of going straight back to fourth. But it can still deliver on its promise, outpacing all other teams with an impressive track record of successful car updates in 2022 (which correlates strongly with wind tunnel simulations).

The current Challenger has so far proven more reliable than its points-wasting predecessor. But in terms of seasonal development, the A523 will benefit from superior peak downforce. So far, it has proven to be a jack of all trades, but a jack of all trades.

Some of its wide operating window may be sacrificed for a higher performance ceiling in favor of star performer Aston Martin. This was underscored by the fact that the Alps were faster in a straight line and ended up losing out to Fernando Alonso’s new employers in the more tortuous middle section of Bahrain and Australia.

McLaren MCL60’s Lando Norris leads McLaren MCL60’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari SF-23’s Carlos Sainz

Photography: Jack Grant / motorsport pictures

McLaren

Baku is vital for McLaren. Hopes have been pinned on a major upgrade in Azerbaijan to revive fortunes since management stressed the need for a “realistic” winter car launch. The language has been toned down recently, as the team now says several software packages are required, and due to the particular nature of the street circuit, the changes may not yield immediate improvements.

Cornering balance must be improved as the MCL60 still suffers from the same unpredictable behavior as the 2022 car, causing the driver to lose confidence and be inconsistent.

Expect major floor changes. These should help address the overall downforce deficit that has left the McLaren trailing Mercedes-engined customer Aston Martin in most mid-to-high speed corners so far.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-23

Photography: Ferrari

ferrari

The unreliability of knocking out Charles Leclerc in Bahrain, the two-car straight-line loss in Saudi Arabia and the failed strategy of qualifying in Australia suggest that Ferrari has still not addressed its major operational flaws from last season. But specific to the SF-23 is the lack of downforce.

Ferrari hopes to close the gap with Red Bull in a straight line at the end of 2022. It does this through the winter by sacrificing peak cornering performance.

This results in a car that’s every bit as twitchy as its capricious predecessor. But last year’s machine was particularly troublesome for Carlos Sainz in controlling the rear axle, and this time around, both drivers struggled to manage a lazy front end. Bahrain’s rough pavement exacerbated the understeer.

A tweaked floor with raised edges and revised front wing end panels broke cover in Saudi Arabia. The early introductions combined with Ferrari’s good feeling for Baku mean there will be no updates this weekend, with arrivals expected in Miami, Imola and Barcelona instead.

George Russell, Mercedes F1 W14, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W14

Photography: Steve Etherington/ motorsport pictures

mercedes benz

Mercedes will have to wait until the Emilia Romagna GP for a series of potentially game-changing updates. While it’s easy to get sucked into talk of new car concepts that pave the way for the sidepod’s return, cost caps and crash-test constraints start with a completely blank sheet of paper.

This means that Lewis Hamilton will continue to feel “disconnected” from the cockpit being too far forward relative to the front axle. The seating position – dictated by a novel exposed crash structure, zero-scale sidepods and engine cooling package – is highly unlikely to change before 2024.

So to address complaints of basic handling imbalances caused by the car being too far forward, Mercedes will have to improve rear-end stability in the short term. Revised suspension components are already in the works to improve mechanical grip, and the next step to keep the rear more planted is to bring more downforce to the rear of the W14.

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR23

Photography: Mark Sutton/ motorsport pictures

aston martin

Key to Aston Martin’s stellar start to the campaign is its low-speed performance. Few can match how late Fernando Alonso was able to hit the brakes, then quickly hit the gas and start accelerating out of tight corners. This is the case from Bahrain all the way to Australia.

But the AMR23 did suffer a lot in the straight line, although Alonso didn’t stray far from third, despite the very different characteristics of the three circuits. During one lap of the fluid Jeddah street circuit, Red Bull’s 9 mph gap was seen at three different points.

Aston is a drag car, suggesting rear height and improving the top aerodynamic surface should be the main areas of focus for the Silverstone team. However, Mercedes’ enduring struggle with the 2022 W13 shows that high drag may be at the heart of the design philosophy, and it’s harder to eliminate.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB19

Photography: Red Bull Content Pool

red bull

When it came to passing team-mate Sergio Perez for the fastest lap in Saudi Arabia, Max Verstappen shaved around two seconds off his time in the final Tour race. This, and a quick eight-second advantage in Australia ahead of the tempo-holding station, showed Red Bull had the pace to spare. Once it has its pit windows covered, attention turns to maintaining the Pirelli and protecting the car.

The distorted picture and RB19’s impeccable qualifying and victory record made it difficult to spot weaknesses. It had the advantage on Saturday and then played well in terms of pace of play. Good car balance helps keep the tyres alive, allowing Red Bull to stay strong towards the end of the race without significant drops in lap times.

Much better in a straight line than sister team and Honda engine rider AlphaTauri, which also speaks to aerodynamic efficiency.

While it’s not part of a traditional seasonal development arms race, Red Bull is vulnerable to unreliability. Verstappen’s Q2 exit in Saudi Arabia with gearbox failure was the saddest of all, although the two-time champion has been complaining about having to deal with various downshifts in practice and the Grand Prix.