But while we may have to wait a few more days to see some of these new parts, the break at least gives us a chance to reflect on some interesting developments we’ve uncovered so far this season.
Here are a selection of the best technical images from the first five races of the year, courtesy of George Piola and Sutton images.
Bahrain: Alfa Romeo has adopted a solution pioneered by Mercedes in 2022 in Bahrain, with the Switzerland-based company looking to improve the flow structure at the front of the car and improve downstream performance.
Mercedes introduced its widebody chassis blister solution at last year’s British Grand Prix as part of a larger update package. This set of parts helped cushion some of the ill effects the Dolphins suffered in the first half of the season, but also helped the team unlock some of the latent potential of the W13.
Bahrain: An interesting feature of the Alpine A523 is the engraving on the lower part of the tail end plate. The regulations for this area of the end panels seem to prohibit various types of aerodynamic furniture that adorn this section. While not as effective as the wash-up columns the team has put here in the past, the swage lines that Alpine have incorporated into the end plates are a nice feature that provide a performance boost over regular-profile alternatives.
Mercedes W14 rear detail
Photography: unconfirmed
Saudi Arabia: Mercedes used a wing of this specification in Bahrain, but made some changes to better suit the requirements of the Jeddah street circuit, with cutouts removed from the upper rear corners of the end plates and filler plates replaced.
This is thanks to the design of the end plates, allowing the use of interchangeable panels. You’ll also notice how the tip portion of the end plate is trimmed off, rather than have a flat edge, to change the behavior of the wing.
Aston Martin AMR23 detail
Photography: unconfirmed
Saudi Arabia: Instead of introducing an all-new, track-specific rear wing, Aston Martin has modified it for Saudi Arabia, with the central section of the trailing edge of the upper flap trimmed to reduce downforce and drag.
Red Bull Racing RB19 Details
Photography: unconfirmed
Saudi Arabia: Here we can see the back end of the Red Bull RB19 not yet attached to the chassis. We can clearly see some of the inboard suspension elements, as well as the rear wing strut cage mounted on the crash structure. We can also see the passage of the exhaust pipes under the suspension elements, which are lined with a gold reflective coating.
Alfa Romeo Racing C43 Rear Detail
Photography: unconfirmed
Saudi Arabia: Alfa Romeo’s DRS pod has been revised compared to the Bahrain-spec version, as the mechanism’s smaller duct is located at the top rear of the main pod. At the same time, the flap pivots were changed to a more traditional barrel-shaped solution rather than the teardrop-shaped one we’ve seen on different configurations before.
AlphaTauri AT04 Details
Photography: unconfirmed
Saudi Arabia: Looking at the radiator and cooler layout on the AlphaTauri AT04, the team used a large saddle cooler, as they have for years. This allows it to optimize the internal layout of the sidepods.
A mechanic works on Max Verstappen’s car, the Red Bull Racing RB19
Australia: As the Red Bull RB19 is ready for action, we see views of the front brake components in various stages of construction, with the caliper fairing mounted on the left side of the car. In contrast, it is bare on the right. You’ll notice that the fairing also doesn’t close the central window at this stage, which is an option if the team wants to change the way heat moves between the various nests of the brake drums.
Small cooling tube fins can also be seen on the exposed calipers, as well as larger central vents that the team is using for 2023 to allow heat to escape from the brake discs through the calipers.
Williams FW45 Technical Details
Photography: unconfirmed
Australia: The front brake assembly on the Williams FW45, now with fairings surrounding the calipers and discs, is very similar to the design used by Red Bull in 2022.
Ferrari SF-23 technical details
Photography: unconfirmed
Australia: Ferrari’s calipers send cool air through two channels on either side of the fairing, while ports in the calipers and the central section of the fairing allow heat exhausted by holes drilled in the disc to move through the assembly. Ferrari also has a disc fairing this year, though it’s not shown in this image, although that does give us a glimpse of its X-shaped drilling pattern on the disc.
Australia: Through the skin of the Mercedes W14 we can glimpse the powerplant and its packaging. Note how the main exhaust pipe is routed on top of the rear suspension legs and where the main rear floor bracket is mounted, where it meets the body when it exists.
Alfa Romeo C43 technical details
Photography: unconfirmed
Australia: The complex interplay of Alfa Romeo C43 front wing flaps and end panels, with the rearmost two elements turned outwards and a large chunk of the lower part of the end panel removed entirely to encourage more outwash.
McLaren MCL60 technical details
Photography: unconfirmed
Australia: The flaps on the McLaren MCL60 are also turned outward to facilitate scouring. However, without the cutaway section at the lower rear of the endplate, it might lose power compared to some competitors.
Mercedes F1 W14 technical details
Photography: unconfirmed
Australia: Mercedes’ solutions for this area also try to compensate for some of the washout effects that the regulations are designed to reduce, including cutouts in the rear lower part of the end panels, split flaps and two rear wings.
Ferrari SF-23 technical details
Photography: unconfirmed
Australia: A closer look at the front wing and under the nose of the SF-23 reveals that these provisions greatly reduce surface complexity compared to the previous generation. Also, notice how the bottom of the outboard flap adjuster has a slat-like appearance.
Azerbaijan: As the mechanics get ready for action, the Alfa Romeo C43 looks great, with radiators and coolers stacked together inside the sidepods. Also, note its low-downforce rear wing, which has a shallow scoop-shaped main plan profile and sawn diagonally at the wingtips.
Azerbaijan: Haas trimmed a large portion of the flaps on the back of its rear wing for the Baku to reduce drag and increase top speed.
Red Bull Racing RB19 technical details
Photography: unconfirmed
Azerbaijan: The metal bridge support of the center strut of the Red Bull RB19 rear wing also serves as a higher location for mounting the upper wishbones.
Azerbaijan: Alpine has a lower downforce option for the Baku front wing, with a large cutout in the middle of the upper flap.
AlphaTauri AT04 Technical Details
Photography: unconfirmed
Azerbaijan: The AlphaTauri’s downforce rear wing is scoop-shaped, with the upper flap dropping gradually at its trailing edge where it meets the tip section.
McLaren MCL60 detail
Photography: unconfirmed
Azerbaijan: The McLaren’s floor has an inner side strip that sits above the tide line on the leading edge, while raised sections below the sidepod undercuts help to better manage airflow above and below the surface. You’ll notice that the edges of the floor and the welts on the wings have been beveled to help reduce bowing.
McLaren MCL60 detail
Photography: unconfirmed
Azerbaijan: A close-up of the edge wings on the MCL60 floor, with the three blades angled to help protect them as the floor compresses towards the ground, while preventing them from flexing excessively.
Ferrari SF-23 rear detail
Photography: unconfirmed
Azerbaijan: Ferrari’s dual-element spar wing arrangement has a shorter chord element at the top, spanning the full span of the wing, while most teams typically attach the upper element to the top of the crash structure.
Mercedes W14 detail
Photography: unconfirmed
Azerbaijan: The edge of the floor of the Mercedes W14 has a number of smaller slats that will work in conjunction with the tips of the underfloor rails as they meander to that part of the floor. Also, notice how much the edge wing rolls up compared to the height of the front of the floor.
Miami: Looking down the side of the A523, we can also see the grooves dug into the upper surface of the sidepods, and the team chose to use interchangeable engine covers in Miami to provide more cooling.
Miami: Details of the rear end of the Mercedes W14, including the three-layer lower brake duct deflector introduced in Azerbaijan.
Aston Martin AMR23 technical details
Photography: unconfirmed
Miami: Aston Martin’s front brake duct design includes a crossover duct fitted with a guide vane to help control air flow over the face of the assembly.
Aston Martin AMR23 technical details
Photography: unconfirmed
Miami: Close-up of the AMR23’s inboard front suspension components, including the heave damper, and Belleville spring washers.
Miami: Looking at the rear of the Red Bull RB19, the team opted for only a single-spar wing element, which is common this season as it looks to reduce downforce and drag levels at each track.
Aston reserve driver Vandoorne will share driving duties with team principal Lance Stroll, while Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will each drive a day for McLaren.
It will be the Belgian’s first time driving an active F1 car on track since December 2020 when he represented Mercedes in Abu Dhabi testing.
While the Spa test will focus on Pirelli’s no-carpet tyres, it will give Vandoorne a valuable opportunity to sample the 2023 car, helping him correlate with Aston Martin’s simulator work.
If either Stroll or Fernando Alonso were unwell at any point for the rest of the season, his life would also be made easier.
The 31-year-old shared the Aston substitute with defending Formula Two champion Felipe Drugovich, and the two took turns on call.
Dubovic drove the AMR23 for two days during the Bahrain test in February, when Stroll was not present, and he had the opportunity to test drive the AMR23. Since then, the Brazilian has continued to rack up more miles in private testing of the 2021 car.
Stoffel Vandoorne, Reserve Driver, Aston Martin F1 Team
As well as his role at Aston, Vandoorne is one of McLaren’s backup drivers and his performance at Spa will also make it easier for him to step into the MCL60 should the need arise.
As well as giving him a general feel for downforce levels for 2023, the two cars share the Mercedes powerplant and thus have similar settings on their respective steering wheels.
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Vandoorne made his F1 debut for McLaren in Bahrain in 2016, replacing current Aston team-mate Alonso.
He then completed two full seasons in 2017 and 2018, the first with Honda power and the second with Renault. He finished 16th at the World Championships in both seasons, with a best finish of seventh.
He was dropped by McLaren at the end of 2018, but has since rebuilt his career in Formula E, winning the 2021-22 championship for Mercedes and serving as an F1 substitute.
He currently drives for the DS Penske Formula E team and is also a substitute for the Peugeot WEC team.
McLaren has only scored one point after three rounds in 2023 as it struggles to find the car competitive.
But both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have seen plenty of upgrades in recent races, allowing the former to finish second in a row, while Piastri has finished in the top five in each of his past two races.
Despite being 136 points behind second-placed Mercedes in the constructors’ championship, Russell believes McLaren is a real threat for the remainder of the race behind leaders Red Bull.
“Obviously they’re a real contender for second fastest team,” Russell said of Woking.
“Oddly enough, Aston Martin was clearly second at the start of the year.
“And they don’t seem to be that competitive now. Ferrari haven’t made much progress. McLaren has made huge progress.
“So without McLaren we’d be very, very happy with the progress we’ve made. Leading the midfield, widening the gap and closing in on Red Bull.
“McLaren has just fully embraced it. But that makes you optimistic that bigger strides are possible.
“I believe in my team. I think it gives us the confidence and optimism to take this step towards Red Bull.
“We’re not too focused on McLaren, Aston or Ferrari. We’re focused on Red Bull. We’re trying to make that big step.”
Russell fought his way back from 18th on the grid at last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, jumping to sixth at the checkered flag after Mercedes strategists told him 11th was his favorite.
Russell was pleased with the final result, but felt it was “proof” of a “missed opportunity” for Hungary.
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“The strategy tells me that if we maximize everything, the P11 is the most realistic, the P7 is the most realistic,” Russell told Autosport.
“Sixth place without a safety car, without a VSC, it’s a really great result.
“But it also proved that this weekend could be a missed opportunity. I believe I could have gone there with Lewis yesterday, it’s one of my favorite circuits and the car always does well here.
“When you have two cars out there, fighting for second gives you more options, and Lewis is also very strong. If things turned out a little differently, he would also be P2.
“So as a missed opportunity we will learn from it. But the positive side is we are leading Aston and Ferrari.”
Formula 1 has relied on junior classes to develop the next generation of drivers, and its teams are eager to snag their brightest talent.
The ‘old’ Formula 2 car was a ruleset rather than its own separate entity, sometimes sharing the grid with F1, and later rule changes made the two cars separate championships.
The second class was renamed the F3000 in 1985 as the series switched to a naturally aspirated engine formula and extended the life of the earlier Cosworth DFV lineage. Throughout the life of the F3000, different engine and chassis suppliers came and went, with companies including Reynard, Lola, Ralt and March among them, all producing cars before the championship became a single specification.
When the F3000 championship began to fade due to declining team interest and declining track quality, the second level of racing was reborn in 2005. Bernie Ecclestone tried to bring the junior championship to F1’s bottom line and, along with Flavio Briatore and Bruno Michel, helped build the GP2 series.
GP2 became the FIA Formula Two Championship in 2017, but many key hallmarks of GP2’s early series have stood the test of time. The GP3 series, a third-tier category designed to compete with the myriad Formula 3 championships around it, was added to the F1 Act in 2010 and became FIA Formula 3 in 2019.
There are major differences in the way F2 is run compared to F1, there are subtle changes in form and there are big differences in the overall performance of the cars. The following are the key areas of comparison between F1 and F2.
F1 vs. F2 – key differences
car
Formula 1
Formula Two
top speed
220+ mph
208 mph
Minimum weight including driver
798 kg
788 kg
DRS?
Yes
Yes
engine size
1.6 liter V6
3.4 liter V6
Approximate Power
1,000 horsepower
620 hp
car size
5.63m x 2m x 0.95m
5.22m x 1.9m x 1.09m
tire size
18 inches
18 inches
game every weekend
One (two for sprint weekends)
Two (one sprint, one feature)
game length
305 km/190 miles
Sprint – 120 km/74.5 miles
Features – 170 km/105.6 miles
team
10
11
driver
20
twenty two
2023 Pole Times – Red Bull Ring
1 point 04.391
1 meter 14,643
2023 Pole Times – Monaco
1 meter 11.365
1 meter 21.053
2023 Pole Times – Silverstone
1 meter 26.720
1 meter 39,832
Current single-spec F2 cars can be seen as simpler, smaller versions of F1 cars
In F1, each team designs its own chassis according to a set of well-defined technical regulations laid down by the FIA. For the 2022 ruleset, the FIA has updated the wording of the rules to better define the bounding box within which bodies can be developed and build a system more in line with the proliferation of available CAD products.
It features a range of safety systems such as a roll cage, halo and anti-intrusion panels mounted around the monocoque. There are also anti-collision structures on the side, front and rear of the car to minimize the impact on the driver in the car.
F2 is a single-spec series with all teams using the Dallara F2 2018 model. The car and driver must weigh a minimum of 788kg and feature F1 standard safety features such as the aforementioned crash structures and halos. Use only parts supplied by Dallara, Hewland or sold by F2 promoters.
F2 cars use floor venturi tunnels, which F1 adopts in 2022, 40 years after banning ground-effect aerodynamics. These designs aren’t as extreme as those in F1, but they work on the same principle, and the car is also enhanced with front and rear wings to create downforce. Like F1, F2 cars are fitted with a Drag Reduction System (DRS), which operates on the same parameters as its parent series.
While F1 cars typically reach speeds in excess of 220 mph during a race, with DRS switched on, an F2 car could theoretically hit 208 mph at full low downforce.
What is the difference between F1 and F2 tires?
Pirelli supplies all championships on the official F1 ladder, and F2 and F3 also use the Italian company’s rubber.
F2 started using 18-inch tires in 2020, two years before entering F1. F2 tires are slightly narrower than F1 tires and generally have less grip because of the naturally lower speeds of the junior series cars.
There are four dry-weather tire compounds for the F2: hard, medium, soft and supersoft – with the first three using the same white, yellow and red color coding as the F1. Extra soft textures are indicated by purple text on the side walls. Each car is supplied with five sets of dry weather tires per wheel, consisting of two of the prescribed compounds, with a set of “premium” tires to be returned after practice. Three sets of wet tires are also available – the F2 has no intermediate compound.
Tire blankets are banned in F2, meaning drivers must warm up their tires naturally. This often creates a larger offset during the pit stops, with drivers leaving the pits vulnerable to those who have already completed laps in the new group.
The “primary” and “option” compounds (harder tires are the main tires and softer tires are the options) must be used during featured races, and pit stops are required to replace them. Tire parking is allowed during a sprint, but not mandatory. Since only two dry compounds are used each weekend, Pirelli and F2 decide which tire to use before the weekend. There may be a single step in the compound (for example, medium and soft), or there may be a larger step for greater excursions (for example, medium and extra soft).
620bhp Mecachrome F2 engine
Photography: Sutton Images
What is the difference between F1 and F2 powertrains?
F1 has used a turbo-hybrid system since 2014, with a turbocharger and a motor-generator set on the rear axle to form a hybrid package. The internal combustion engine is a 1.6-liter V6. By 2022, F1 engines run on E10 fuel, where 10% of the fuel composition consists of combustibles of biosourced origin.
The MGU-K in an F1 car can produce up to 160bhp for a total power output of around 1000bhp. Figures for F1’s current four powertrain manufacturers (Ferrari, Mercedes, Renault and Red Bull Powertrain) vary but are all believed to have efficiencies in excess of 50%.
F2’s single-spec powertrain is produced by French manufacturer Mecachrome, which briefly participated in F1 in 1998 and 1999, and took over Renault’s engine program. The Mecachrome unit was a 3.4-litre V6 engine, virtually the same one used in the F3, but with a modified turbocharger from Van der Lee. It produces around 620bhp and is driven by a six-speed Hewland gearbox.
To ensure fairness in powertrain supply, Mecachrome units are randomly assigned to teams, as there may be minor differences in overall power output.
F2 is currently being used as a test bed to assist F1 in developing more sustainable fuel, using Aramco-produced fuel with 55% of its content from sustainable bio-sources, with the aim of increasing this figure to 100% by 2026/27. The Saudi oil brand replaced longtime supplier Elf as the sole producer of the F2 fuel.
How much does F1 cost compared to F2?
In recent years, Formula 1 has been constrained by a cost cap of about $135 million through 2023, with some minor adjustments for inflation and other ancillary costs. The cost cap covers most development and operating costs, but excludes driver salaries, salaries of the team’s three highest-paid employees, travel costs and marketing expenses. As Red Bull found out in 2022, violating this cap carries a range of penalties depending on the extent of the overrun.
The bulk of this budget comes from the FIA’s prize money, investment and sponsorship mix. Some teams, such as Red Bull and Mercedes, are self-sufficient in terms of bonuses and sponsors and do not require direct input from their ownership structures.
F2 teams have much smaller budgets, and with the series’ fairly limited reach, teams will rarely start the season with a full sponsor portfolio ready to fund every race. As such, drivers should pay for their rides through their own sponsors or a driver academy.
Depending on the team, the budget of an F2 driver can vary from 2 million to 3 million euros, and can even exceed this budget to get a seat in a better team. To keep costs down, F2 limited the number of employees working on each car on race weekends and designed the cars to be relatively cheap. A team can buy a complete F2 car, without the engine, for around 500,000 euros.
George Russell, Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc are recent notable F2 graduates entering F1
To compete in F2, drivers must hold an A or B international FIA license. They cannot conduct private tests on F2 machines, only the group tests offered by the series. There are also restrictions on the single-seater cars that drivers can test in private, and if a driver is double-duty in another category, they must commit to racing in F2 in the event of any conflict.
Depending on a driver’s final standing at the end of the F2 season, they may receive Superlicense points to help qualify for F1. To obtain a super license to compete in F1, a driver needs to earn 40 points.
The distribution of Super License points is:
end of season position
SL points
first place
40
second place
40
third place
40
fourth place
30
the fifth place
20
sixth place
10
Number 7
8
number 8
6
No.9
4
No. 10
3
These can be applied cumulatively over the course of three seasons.
F1 VS F2 weekend format
F1 has been running in the same basic format for years, with FP1 and FP2 taking place on Fridays, each one hour long. FP3 races are also one hour long and take place on the Saturday before the three-stage qualifying format in place since 2006. F1 races must be at least 305 kilometers in length (excluding Monaco) and must not exceed two hours in duration, with a three-hour window if any red flags are raised.
However, sprint weekends are different and that changes for 2023. The only practice session kicked off with Friday’s race, followed by qualifying for Sunday’s Grand Prix. Sprint qualifying and the race are both held on Saturdays, with 2023 seeing six sprint weekends for added variety.
F2 has a practice session lasting 45 minutes on Friday, with a half-hour qualifying session later in the day. It’s effectively a time trial and drivers just need to maintain the fastest lap at the end of the race to secure pole for Sunday’s race.
Many F1 teams have junior drivers in F2 teams
Photography: Red Bull Content Pool
The sprint race takes place on Saturday, using the same grid as qualifying, but with the top ten swapped. The number of laps “equal to the minimum number of complete laps over a distance of 120 km (100 km in Monaco)”, according to the 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 scoring system, the score is finally dropped to eighth place, and the fastest lap points are awarded to the top 10 competitors.
The F2 weekend’s featured race “should be equal to the minimum number of complete laps over a distance of 170km (140km in Monaco, 160km in Budapest)”. It features mandatory pit stops where drivers must use both primary and optional compounds during the race. If a driver pits before completing the sixth lap, the mandatory stop does not count. This information is also not recorded if a driver stops under the Virtual Safety Car unless they are already in the pits when the VSC is triggered.
F2 attempted three weekend races in 2021, but the practice was generally unpopular and canceled for 2022 due to gaps left on the calendar. Prior to this, the main race was held on Saturday, and the starting position of the sprint race was determined by the results and the reversal of the top eight.