Technical updates: 2026 U.S. Grand Prix

The start of the latest tripleheader of consecutive race weekends at the U.S. Grand Prix has seen the majority of teams bring further updates to their 2026 cars.

New regulations mean a high rate of development, and teams can still find significant gains even late in the season, that can also carry through to 2027. As a result, Circuit of The Americas is a venue for which seven of the teams have brought new components, with defending champions McLaren (below) introducing a new diffuser, as well as revised front and rear corners that will increase load and improve flow conditioning.

Red Bull has a front wing foot plate tweak that incorporates a new front tire temperature vane, improving performance as well as providing temperature measurements. There’s also a minor modification to the front corner for reliability reasons, reducing the strain on that area of the car when it is at full steering lock.

Ferrari (pictured, top, and below) has a relatively significant update as it brings a new floor – comprising floor body and floor boards – as well as the sidepod inlet and rear bodywork, combined with an updated diffuser. Ferrari says the “key development features have focused on increasing floor downforce (on both front and rear parts) while also increasing energy levels and flow stability sent towards the back of the car.”

The four new areas submitted by Ferrari is matched by Racing Bulls, where there is a new front wing endplate, updated rear wing flap elements, and more notably a new floor and bodywork combination. The floor update includes the leading edge devices, floor boards and floor edge, and works in conjunction with a reprofiled shoulder and undercut of the engine cover bodywork to help manage airflow to the rear of the car.

Audi’s developments are more modest, with a new front brake duct, now floor boards and updated mirror stay, while Alpine is introducing a reprofiled rear wing flap – designed to improve flow quality and load delivery – and has resigned the rear floor corner for better aerodynamic interaction with rear brake ducts and suspension.

At its second home race, Cadillac also has a new part to test, with new floor fences that are designed to reduce sensitivity to changes in car attitude. There is also an updated sidepod that includes more cooling louvers, aimed at increasing the power unit’s cooling capacity for minimal aerodynamic loss.

Mercedes, Williams, Aston Martin and Haas do not have any new components in Austin.