Top Tech Upgrades at the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

McLaren: All About the Rear End

McLaren’s update package is laser-focused on rear stability and drag efficiency — perfect for a track like Imola.

• Rear Corner: Refined suspension and corner elements boost flow conditioning, increasing aero load over the rear wheels — more grip, more predictability.
• Rear Wing + Beam Wing: It’s a high-down force double act. A meatier mainplane and flap on the rear wing pair with a newly loaded beam wing to stack rear grip without excess drag.
• Front Suspension: Small clearance changes improve reliability, likely aimed at avoiding component clash in high-load cornering scenarios.
  

Verdict: Rear-focused package should pay off in the second half of the lap — especially through Variante Alta and Rivazza.

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Ferrari: Subtle Tweaks with Strategic Flexibility

Ferrari hasn’t gone radical, but they’ve made smart, targeted changes that align with a longer-term development arc.

• Rear Corner: Slightly revised scoop and winglet geometry sharpen the local airflow, squeezing out more load without wholesale redesign.
• Rear Wing: A higher-downforce option carried over from 2024 makes a comeback. It’s not their go-to choice, but it’s in the pool for variable grip conditions.
  

Verdict: Not flashy, but calculated. Ferrari’s playing the setup flexibility game this weekend.

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Red Bull: Efficiency in the Details

Red Bull continues its micro-aero evolution — and once again, it's all about squeezing more from every surface.

• Coke/Engine Cover: A reworked radiator duct inlet and sidepod shape optimise both cooling and aero. It’s a flow-efficiency win on multiple fronts.
• Rear Suspension: A tweaked fairing around the inboard suspension cleans up airflow just behind the sidepod — small change, potentially big in CFD.
• Rear Corner: Tidier inlet and exit ductwork trims turbulence near the wheels and boosts efficiency downstream.
  
  

Verdict: Peak Red Bull — small, sharp, and all about compounding marginal gains.

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Mercedes: Front-End Flow Refinement

Mercedes arrives with a trio of updates designed to improve aerodynamic coherence from nose to floor.

• Front Suspension Fairings: All leg fairings are reprofiled to maintain cleaner, more stable flow back to the floor and diffuser.
• Front Wing: Chord and span redistribution shifts the upwash profile, which should improve how air hits the car’s midsection — a clever way to boost underfloor activation.
• Engine Cover: A subtle shape tweak on the upper surface manages airflow toward the rear wing — and helps cool the power unit more effectively.
  
  

Verdict: This is classic Merc — subtle sculpting to sharpen the car’s aero map front-to-back.

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Aston Martin: A Full-Floor Overhaul

One of the most comprehensive packages this weekend — Aston Martin’s floor has seen an all-points update.

• Floor Body + Fences + Edge: Revised shapes throughout improve underfloor airflow velocity and pressure consistency — more downforce, better balance.
• Diffuser: An updated shoulder profile works in tandem with the floor changes, refining expansion and boosting low-pressure extraction.
• Halo + Engine Cover: Reprofiled rear halo and coke shape help reshape the flow around the cockpit and toward the rear floor.
• Beam Wing: Less aggressive, flatter sections reduce drag without wrecking rear stability.
  
  

Verdict: A clear aero push. If it works, expect Aston Martin to climb the midfield pecking order fast.

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Alpine: Rebalancing the Package

Alpine’s made a push at both ends of the car to sharpen balance and aero consistency.

• Front Wing: A redesigned profile redistributes load, improving corner entry precision and stabilising the car across its operating range.
• Engine Cover: Reprofiling around the rear bodywork boosts flow quality heading into the rear wing zone — small detail, big flow benefit.
  
  

Verdict: It’s a light update, but one aimed at stabilising balance and fine-tuning performance.

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Haas: Ground-Effect Coordination

Haas has come to Imola with a full underfloor strategy — updates that work as a single package.

• Floor Body + Edge: A new contraction shape at the front floor and slimmer edges ensure higher-energy flow through the underfloor tunnel — boosting efficiency and rear-end grip.
• Diffuser: Expansion rate has been adjusted to match the new upstream conditions, maximizing pressure drop and downforce.
• Rear Corner + Suspension: Updated brake duct elements and outer suspension fairings help control the tire wake and extract more local load.
  
  

Verdict: A cohesive floor package — smart design evolution for a team fighting to stay in the points mix.

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Racing Bulls: Undercut Innovation

Visa Cash App Racing Bulls are playing with underfloor channels and rear-end airflow to lift performance.

• Floor Body: Modified underfloor volumes and fence positions redefine how flow travels under the car — the goal is more load without hurting the diffuser.
• Engine Cover: The revised sidepod undercut promotes high-energy flow to the floor edge. A new chassis winglet manages this air as it feeds the rear wing.
  
  

Verdict: Creative geometry tweaks — expect gains in sector 2 if the balance is right.

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❌No Updates from Williams or Sauber

Both Atlassian Williams Racing and Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber submitted no changes for this round — potentially focusing development efforts elsewhere or banking on future packages.

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My Takeaway: Underfloor is Where the War Is

Whether it’s tweaks to floor channels, diffuser shoulders, or edge wings, the theme this weekend is clear: optimize the underbody, sharpen the flow, and don’t sacrifice top speed. With just 19 corners and few overtaking spots, every ounce of aero efficiency counts at Imola — and teams know it.

I will be back next week with the latest updates from the paddock for Monaco, expect circuit-specific updates for the teams centered on steering and setup to cater for the unique Monaco demands.

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