TECH DEBRIEF: Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren introduce upgrades in Jeddah

Although the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix concludes the season's first triple header, several teams have opted to bring upgrades to their cars to the challenging Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

The track is 6.174 kilometres long and one of the fastest of the season with drivers spending around 80% of the lap with the accelerator buried to the floor, even though it is fairly twisty and boasts a record number of corners, 27 in fact, with 16 to the left and 11 to the right.

Many of them are taken at medium or high speed. Although there are three DRS zones, overtaking is not that straightforward due to the lack of any heavy braking points.

The track surface is not very abrasive, with an average level of roughness, but the lateral forces exerted on the tyres are considerable, although not at the level to be found at Suzuka or Barcelona for example. Graining can put in an appearance, especially in the first free practice sessions as the track is very dirty to start with, because it is rarely used for motor racing.

Due to Jeddah’s high speed nature, several team have elected to introduce upgrades to their cars, with the majority of the upgrades focusing on the unique coolin requirements and the long full-throttle sections of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

McLaren have established themselves as the field-leading outfit since the first laps during the three-day pre-season testing in Bahrain. The Woking-based outfit has introduced its first significant upgrade package at this weekend's Jeddah round.

McLaren have brought a reshaped diffuser “to improve overall flow conditioning in this area, with the aim of gaining aerodynamic performance”.

At the back end of the MCL39, the papaya squad has introduced a revised rear brake duct winglet arrangement. The championship leaders hopes that the upgraded brake ducts will result "in an improvement in local flowfield around the rear corner translating to an increase in aerodynamic efficiency”.

Elsewhere, Red Bull have brought both performance and reliability upgrades.

The RB21 features an enlarged central exit which was necessary due to the very high ambient temperatures at the Jeddah round that takes place a month later than last year which mean significantly warmer conditions than twelve months ago.

Regarding the cooling modifications, Red Bull have noted: "Demands of circuit in Jeddah with the forecast ambient temperatures require the use of a larger top body to reject the heat needed for cooling.

The Milton Keynes-based squad also brought a performance upgrade in form of a new beam wing. The modified wing features a reduced chord and camber, with Red Bull explaining: "A step to reduce the downforce at a given speed to observe the lift/drag requirements for this circuit.

Ferrari has brought an upgraded rear wing to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, introducing a modified, decambered, shorter chord top rear wing flap element. Interestingly, Charles Leclerc used the new rear wing in both practice sessions while Lewis Hamilton's SF25 was equipped with the new configuration for the second hour of running.

Commenting on its new rear wing, the Scuderia noted: "Adapting to the peculiarities of the Jeddah circuit aerodynamic efficiency requirements, this option is adding granularity in the available downforce level options on the baseline rear wing."

Moreover, as the Maranello-based outfit had been unsure about the best aerodynamic configuration ahead of the weekend, it also brought another version of the rear wing which was based on an assembly from last year. The modified rear wing from 2025 was accompanied by a beam wing that the Scuderia has not used so far this year.

"This top wing and lower beam wing options are carried-over components from last year’s low/medium downforce events, and provide a larger step compared to the flap described above. The lower beam wing can be combined with different top wing assemblies," Ferrari noted.

Elsewhere, Aston Martin have introduced a less aggressive rear wing flap on an existing assembly which is a cost-effective way to reduce drag at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. The Silverstone-based outfit has noted that the upgrade is "part of standard development to provide a wing with less load and hence drag."

Haas have also introduced a recambered rear wing assembly and a new front wing "in order to achieve a correct balance level with the introduction of the less loaded rear wing."

Racing Bulls have introduced tweaks to the front, beam and rear wing of their car, with all changes aimed at reducing the drag.

Sauber have submitted four circuit-specific changes and a performance-related tweak which revolves around the floor body. The team hinted that the performance change that affects the central section of the floor 'is aiming to improve flow characteristics around the rear floor, for efficient downforce gain."

Williams, Mercedes and Alpine have not submitted any new parts for the Jeddah round.