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Technical upgrades: 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix

Zak Mauger/Motorsport Images

By Chris Medland - Nov 17, 2023, 8:22 AM ET

Technical upgrades: 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix

McLaren, Aston Martin and Alpine are the only teams with new parts submitted for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The final two races of the season run back to back at Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi, and with a new venue to get to grips with the majority of teams have opted to run cars without changes to provide a stable baseline. But two of the three to bring track-specific updates -- McLaren and Aston Martin -- are just 21 points apart in the constructors’ championship with just two rounds to go.

McLaren has designed a special beam wing and rear wing that is specific to Vegas, with the two working in conjunction to maximize efficiency and allow the team to change which aspect generates the most load.

Lance Stroll in the Las Vegas-spec Aston Martin AMR23. Simon Galloway/Motorsport Images

For Aston Martin, the theory is similar but sees an update to the front wing that “is to balance the car with lower rear wing levels when circuit characteristics require that setup,” while there is a change to the cooling options on the bodywork and engine cover due to the lower ambient temperatures.

Alpine has the most tweaks to its car with three areas, and combines those above with a lower-drag beam wing paired with a front wing change that “is the most efficient way to balance the revised beam wing update.” Alpine has also removed upper flicks on the rear brake drums to reduce drag.

Chris Medland
Chris Medland

While studying Sports Journalism at the University of Central Lancashire, Chris managed to talk his way into working at the British Grand Prix in 2008 and was retained for three years before joining ESPN F1 as Assistant Editor. After three further years at ESPN, a spell as F1 Editor at Crash Media Group was followed by the major task of launching F1i.com’s English-language website and running it as Editor. Present at every race since the start of 2014, he has continued building his freelance portfolio, working with international titles. As well as writing for RACER, his broadcast work includes television appearances on F1 TV and as a presenter and reporter on North America's live radio coverage on SiriusXM.

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